The Camping Trip
by Vinividivinci
Summary: This is a sequel to my story Betrayal.  Please read that first.  Jack and Chris go on a father/son camping trip but it's far from fun and games.
1. Mommy and Daddy

**_This is a sequel to my story Betrayal. You should read that first or you won't understand some of this story. This chapter is pretty fluffy but there is adventure to come. Please note for you anti-shippers - this is Jack/Sam established. _**

He could hardly wait to get home. He'd been in Washington for almost a month and he was totally sick of it. He hated the stultifying feeling he got as he spent time in the corridors of power and influence. He'd been away from DC for almost a year and he'd forgotten how oppressive and depressing it could be.

Oh, he knew that for many it was exciting and energizing; but not for him. He was a man of action, not of politicking and kissing ass. No, send him out to fight the bad guys, don't ask him to sit at the table and talk to them!

The President had asked him to come, an invitation that was almost, but not totally, impossible to refuse. George Hammond had also asked and that was one person he definitely would never say no to. He owed George too much – including his life and his sanity – and if the man needed him he would be there.

They wanted him to take back his old job heading up Homeworld Security. George desperately wanted to retire and, according to the President, there was no one else to take the job. Now Jack knew that wasn't true – there were a few good men and women out there who would do an excellent job, but still, it was a hard offer to refuse. That old over-developed sense of duty kept poking him directly in the conscience.

He sighed. He still hadn't made up his mind and knew he couldn't and wouldn't until he'd spoken with Carter. Oops, he grinned to himself, I wonder where that came from? For the last six months Carter had no longer been Carter – she'd been simply Sam. No, he corrected himself, never _simply_ Sam. She was Sam – the woman he loved with every fiber of his being. She was his companion, his love, his life – she was Sam.

He thought again of the journey that had brought him to this place. He remembered that terrible time, almost a year ago, when he'd thought his team, his family, had betrayed him. Anguished, he'd quit his job and left, telling no one where he was going. He'd begun a cross-country journey, not to any place in particular but rather to get away from his hurt and those he'd thought had betrayed him.

He'd found a haven in a small city in the Rocky Mountains in Canada and had been taken in by Molly and her grandson Chris. They'd helped him see that there was still a reason to keep going, that there were people who still cared for him and for whom he could still care. It was there that his team had found him but, before they'd had a chance to work anything out he'd been kidnapped by a rogue Asgard who thought he was the solution to their dying race.

He still cringed when he thought of his time on the Asgard ship. He'd been tortured and horribly wounded. He'd almost died and had suffered what could have been irreparable physical damage. He had suffered brain damage which, without the intervention of Thor, would have left him only half a man.

Again – as had happened so many times in the past – his team had rushed to the rescue. Sam had died in the attempt, sacrificing herself rather than see him die. Witf his love and with the power of the Ancients, he'd been able to bring her back. But that had been the turning moment in their relationship. They'd finally admitted that they had to be together. Since both of them had retired, they were no longer bound by the regulations and were free to pursue a relationship. And pursue it they did! He thought back to their own journey across the country. In essence it had been their honeymoon and they'd spent the time getting to know each other, in all ways.

When they'd returned to Molly's the old woman had asked to speak with them about Chris. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to look after him and had asked Jack and Sam to adopt him. They'd agreed, under the condition that they could 'adopt' Molly as well and have her live with them. So, that's what had happened. The paperwork had finally come through when he was in Washington. Chris was officially theirs – although he'd been that, in fact, long before that.

Jack smiled. He had loved being a father, and although he still felt the pain of Charlie's loss, and knew he always would, he was happier than he had been in a long time. He had a wife he loved and a son he adored. Sam laughed at him and at Chris all the time. She was convinced that they'd been actual father and son in a previous life, they were so much alike. Both of them knew how to have fun and both of them could get into trouble doing it!

Sam was busily engaged in doing research and learning what it was to be a Mom. She was happy as a clam. She was in constant contact with colleagues all over the world (thank God for the internet). The best part however, was that she absolutely loved the mother part of her life. She'd taken to PTA meetings, soccer and hockey games and Mom's groups like no one he'd seen. For someone who'd spent all her adult life protecting her country and then her world she fit in surprisingly well at school fundraisers and 'fun' days.

He enjoyed it too. In fact, he was having a great time in retirement. No longer having to spend his days worrying about whether they were on the brink of disaster, he could instead spend his time, when not with his family, volunteering in the community. He did a lot with local youth groups and in Chris' school. He laughed when he thought of the fact that he'd been asked to tutor kids having trouble in math and science. Who woulda figured! He'd wondered if Sam was a bit put out – she was the astrophysicist after all, but she'd just smiled and kissed him.

"It's good for you Jack – and you're a great teacher."

"Yeah, but math and _science_ Sam! Come on, if it'd been, oh, I don't know – juggling or something I coulda seen it but not math and science."

"You say that as if you hate them", she said seriously.

"Well, they're okay I guess" he grimaced, "but definitely not as fun as juggling!"

After that conversation she'd told Chris' Principal that Jack was good at juggling. The next thing they knew, he was leading a juggling club at lunch time. It turned out that it was extremely good for kids – teaching them coordination and helping with brain development. The best part of all was that they didn't know any of that. It was simply fun!

In actual fact, however, Jack was brilliant at math and science and in every subject they'd tested him in. The Asgard who had kidnapped him had reactivated the Ancient gene and the result was that he was gaining knowledge and abilities at an alarming rate. It was actually much faster and more profound than he let on. He not only _knew_ things he hadn't before, he found he could figure out just about anything he put his mind to. The universe suddenly felt like an open book to him. It was all very disconcerting and he spent quite a bit of time ignoring it.

He found that concentrating on Chris and Sam and Molly helped him base himself in the real world and not get stressed out over the fact that his brain sometimes felt like it was actually growing bigger.

What had started to worry him lately, was not just the knowledge he was gaining, but he was pretty sure he was gaining some extra abilities. The first time he'd noticed it was when the women were out shopping and Chris was at a friend's house. He'd settled in to watch an afternoon hockey game on the TV. He'd gotten himself a beer and snacks and had lain down on the couch, ready to enjoy an afternoon of pure relaxation. He'd suddenly realized, after he was nice and comfy, that he'd left the remote on the top of the TV.

With a sigh he muttered, "why can't I have left you on the coffee table?" He reached over to put his bowl of popcorn on that self-same coffee table when he saw the remote sitting there. He knew – he was positive – that it had been on the TV. Either he was losing his mind or something very weird was going on. He debated trying something else but decided he'd rather not know. Maybe it would go away.

The trouble was, things kept happening like that. All he needed to do was think about an object and it would be there. He never actually saw them move so retained the hope that it was just his imagination.

There were other things though. He thought about the time a repairman had come by and told Molly that she needed some major repair on her heating system. Jack had instantly known that the man was lying and that the problem was a simply short in one of the wires. Again, it could have been intuition or a lucky guess, but when it happened a few times he started to wonder.

He even caught Chris is a small lie. He hadn't handed in some homework and claimed that he hadn't known about it. Jack instantly knew that wasn't the truth and had punished him , more, it turned out, for the lie than for not doing the homework.

Sam had remonstrated with him. "Jack, he said he didn't know."

"I know Sam, but he's lying. He did know, he just didn't want to do it because he wanted to watch the game with me."

"How do you know?"

"I just do!" he'd said shortly. How could he tell her that he was beginning to read people more than was normal? He laughed softly – he'd be great as a judge or policeman he thought. It could be a great gift to be able to tell when someone was telling the truth but it could also be a pain.

Of course, there began to be other things but he refused to even admit they were happening. The last thing he wanted was to become some kind of freak!

Anyway, right now he just wanted to think about getting home and enjoying an evening with his family. It was Friday so they had the whole weekend in front of them.

He dozed on the plane on the way home. He was flying into Spokane and then taking a short hop to Penticton. He could have flown on a transport – as a retired General he had those privileges, but he decided he'd rather fly on a regular airline. He liked the anonymity.

By the time he'd arrived he was feeling pretty stiff. He was almost fully recovered from his ordeal on the Asgard ship but still suffered a bit of weakness now and then. If he sat too long he noticed some general aches and pains. He sighed – it was probably just that he was getting old! He grinned then because even though his years were getting up there, the Doc at the SGC had told him he was healthy as a horse – as healthy as a much younger man. He figured it was also the Ancient gene or maybe it was something Thor had done. Whatever the reason, he could have given a man 20 years younger a run for his money. Good thing too, he smirked – he had a much younger wife and had to keep up with her.

Wife. Now that was a word he liked. He and Sam had taken the plunge almost three months ago. They'd had a small, winter wedding with just their close friends and family in attendance. It had been magical and a day he'd never forget. Yup he was married to Sam Carter – or Sam Carter-O'Neill as she called herself, much to his delight.

"You sure Carter?" he'd asked.

"Yes Sir", she grinned in reply. Anytime he called her that she'd refer to him as 'Sir' or 'General' just to make a point. He kind of liked it though – it brought to mind some good memories.

"Not too big a mouthful?" he asked.

"No. Hey, if I can handle the man I can certainly handle the name!" He'd laughed in response, agreeing that she had a point.

He knew he could be a handful but he kind of thought Sam was surprised at how easy it was to be married to him. He didn't say anything but he'd had a great marriage his first time, until the death of his son had destroyed it, and was totally ready for being married again. While there were things he was still learning about Sam, for the most part he understood the give and take of marriage. He knew when to hold his ground and when to compromise. He understood her need to be alone sometimes – she'd lived by herself for a lot of years after all – and he knew when she needed a hug or a shoulder to cry on. He also knew that she was deserving of his utmost respect. She was a brilliant woman and a very special person and he let her know that he was honored – no, thrilled, by the fact she had chosen him to spend her life with.

Yup, marriage was great and he was really looking forward to getting home.

"There he is!" he heard the small boy's voice shout as he passed through the door in the airport. Sure enough, there were Sam and Chris waiting for him, smiles on both their faces. He dropped his luggage and a small body hurtled into him. He picked Chris up – thank heavens he was still small enough to appreciate it – and gave him a hug.

"How ya doin kid!" he said. "Have you looked after Sam and your Grandma for me?"

"You betcha Jack. I looked after them real good. Didn't I Sam", he turned to the woman coming up behind them."

"He did Jack. He was a great help while you were gone and mostly stayed out of trouble."

"Mostly?" Jack asked, leaning back to look at his son.

"Yeah", Chris grimaced, "I got into a fight with Tyler and got grounded!" he said in disgust. "But you would have done it too Jack. He was, he was being mean to Emily so I told him he was a Gold!"

Jack raised his eyebrows at this and looked at Sam. She nodded. "Yes, he called him a "Gold" . "I'm afraid we have Daniel to blame for that one. That's one of the reasons he was grounded. He knows better than to say things like that. But, he apologized and everything's good now. Yesterday was his last day of being grounded so we can do something tonight."

Jack looked at Sam in appreciation, knowing she'd done that as much for him as for Chris. Setting the boy down "I have to kiss Sam now", he did just that. After a few seconds he felt a tug on his pant leg.

"Jack!" the boy called. "You gotta do that at home!" Jack and Sam both laughed. Chris was starting to get to the age where adult 'cuddling' was 'yucky'.

"Okay young man, let's get homel" He turned to Sam. "How's Molly?" Molly was over 80 and so he worried about her even though she was incredibly healthy.

"She's fine. Cooking up a storm for your arrival. She's sure they didn't feed you properly in Washington."

"Must admit I'm looking forward to some home cooking after all that restaurant food. I had to make sure and run every day or I'd have put on 20 lbs."

As they drove the short distance home from the airport Chris talked non-stop about everything that had been happening at school. That evening they spent time playing games and laughing, enjoying being together. Molly was in her element – there was nothing she enjoyed more than cooking for her family and then watching them simply love each other.

After Molly and Chris had gone to bed Jack walked over and pulled Sam up off the couch. "Come on."

"Come on where?" she asked slyly.

"To bed woman! I've had a month of cold showers and we're still officially newlyweds. Cold showers are definitely _not _what I should be having!"

"No?" she asked as she walked with him to their bedroom. "And what _should _you be having?"

"Sex – continual, constant and glorious sex – with my wife."

"I see" she turned and put her arms around him as soon as they closed the door to their room. "I think that sounds good."

"Good?"

"Okay, wonderful , perfect, and very much missed."

It was quite a bit later before they both collapsed back on the bed, exhausted but sated.

"Much better", Jack sighed. "God, I missed you."

"Was it awful?" she asked sympathetically.

"No, not awful, just tiring. I'd forgotten how much I hated all of that."

"So you didn't find yourself wanting to get back into it, back into the Air Force?"

"Oh, there was a small piece of me that found myself wanting back in. I think talking to George and meeting up with some old buddies made me feel a bit nostalgic. It was also good getting caught up on all that was going on – I'll tell you about it tomorrow – but for the most part all I wanted was to get home."

"Did they offer you the job?" He hadn't really said much to her since they didn't have a secure line of communication and he hadn't been sure what to say.

"Yeah", he breathed out deeply. "They laid it on pretty thick. The President thinks I'm the only one for the job and George really wants to retire. They threw out all sorts of incentives."

"Really?" she propped herself up on her arm, "like what?"

"Oh, a big house in Georgetown, a full time car and driver, private school for Chris, medical coverage for Molly, a fourth star, a bonus after one year -"

"Jack!" she cried.

"Yeah?" he wouldn't look at her.

"_Four stars?"_

"Yeah."

"Oh my God. Can you refuse that?"

"Sure, why not? I never thought I'd get one and four – well, it just means more responsibility and more people sucking up to me."

"But you gotta admit that that's kind of fun." She grinned. She knew how much he hated 'ass-kissers' but at the same time he'd enjoyed dealing with all those people who'd told him he'd never make anything of himself.

"Yeah, I'd love to go back and see old Brisket!"

"Brisket?" she asked, puzzled.

"My old CO – Major Charles Brisquet. He was a complete ass. I used to get into trouble for simply blinking around the man. I almost quit the Air Force after a year with him. I remember him telling me I was a disgrace and I'd never make anything of myself – that I'd be lucky to make Captain."

"Is he still around?"

"Yeah, he was only a couple of years older than me. He'd risen in the ranks because of his Daddy – an old buddy of the former President. Last I heard he was a one-star General. I'd _really_ love to go to his base and do an inspection!"

"That's mean Jack."

"Yup", he grinned, "but it'd be fun."

She laughed and agreed. She'd had a few of those in her career and would have loved to have gone back and rubbed their noses in her success. After a while she sobered up and looked at him.

"Jack, do you think you'll accept?"

"I wanted to ask you. It's not just up to me. I think this has to be a family decision."

"But do you _want_ to do it? You know I'll support whatever you want."

"I know Sam, but it has to be right for all of us, not just me. If it was totally my choice than no, I wouldn't do it. It's hard to say no to the President, but not impossible – it's George I'm worried about."

"Worried? Why?"

"He's looking tired and he really wants out. He should have stayed retired. I blame myself for doing this to him."

"Jack!" she said sharply. "Don't you dare start feeling guilty about this. The President could have appointed someone a long time ago to take your place. You know these are pressure tactics to force you to take the job. Tell him no and he'll find someone soon enough."

"I guess."

"You're not sure are you? There's a part of you that wants the excitement again and is missing the action."

He stayed silent for a few minutes but then nodded slightly. "Mostly I don't miss it, but every once in a while I think of all we did and then I do miss it –l at least the good times – there's lot's I don't miss of course. I just don't know Sam", he said in frustration, "I told them I'd let them know in the next few weeks."

"Good. So right now we should simply rest and put it out of our minds. We can think about it tomorrow."

"I have a better way of putting it out of my mind", he said. "Something that will definitely take my mind off of it", he leered.

"_Again_ Jack?"

"Yeah", he said hopefully.

"Good!"

The next day was Saturday and they decided to go snow shoeing in the mountains. Pretty soon the snow would begin to melt so they decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Molly helped pack a 'snack' (enough food to feed an army for a month thought Jack) and they headed out.

By the time they returned they were cold, wet, tired and laughing. It had been a wonderful afternoon and Jack wondered why he would even consider returning to DC. This was a wonderful place to raise a family and he had time to do things with those he loved. As Director of Homeworld his time would be much more restricted.

Later that night he and Sam were sitting, curled up together on the couch watching some silly movie when they heard the sound of a small boy come out to the living room.

"What are you doing up Chris", Sam asked. "It's past your bedtime."

"I know", he stood there looking uncomfortable.

"What is it young man?" Jack asked gently. He looked over at Sam and raised his eyebrows. Something was definitely up. When Chris still didn't say anything Jack sat up and patted the seat beside him. "Come and sit."

The boy just shook his head and continued to look as if the words just didn't want to come.

"Is something wrong sweetheart", Sam asked.

He shook his head.

"Are you feeling sick?"

Another shake of the head.

"You'll have to tell us sometime you know", Jack smiled. "Unless you want to stand there all night?"

He finally he opened his mouth. "I just – can I ask you something?"

"Of course Chris", Sam said, looking at him gently. "You can always ask us anything, you know that."

"And you won't get mad?"

The two adults exchanged looks, wondering what this was about. "Just tell us Chris. You know everything will be okay."

The little boy took a deep breath and started talking extremely quickly. "You know Cameron? He's my friend and he was telling me that he and his Dad are going on a father son camping trip with the cubs and I said I wanted to go and he said I couldn't because it was for boys and their Dads and I call you Jack and Sam not Mom and Dad even though you said I was your son but I was wondering if maybe I could?"

Jack and Sam both looked at him with their mouths open wanting to take a deep breath for him. He hadn't paused once during his narrative and they wanted to be sure they heard right. After a second or two – in which Chris' face looked like it might crumple at any minute – Jack spoke.

"Sorry kiddo, I'm not sure I quite got that. Are you asking if it's okay to go on the trip cause of course you can. I can come because I'm your Dad now, even though you call me Jack. Remember, we showed you the papers."

Chris didn't look happy and Jack wasn't quite sure if he'd gotten it right. It was Sam who spoke next.

"Chris, what is it you would like? You know we'll do whatever we can to help."

He took another deep breath. "I was wondering if it was okay if I called you" he paused "you know – Mommy and Daddy? If you don't like it I won't or even if you just let me for the camping trip that's okay too but then I'll show Cameron that you really are my parents even though you're adopted."

Sam glanced up at Jack and wasn't surprised to see his eyes go slightly damp. This must be both sweet and bitter for him. She reached out and gently pulled the little boy forward. "I'd like nothing better than if you were to call me Mommy. In fact, I'd be very proud and you can call me Mommy whenever or for however long you want." Chris smiled and reached out and gave her a big hug. Sam felt her throat tighten and knew it wouldn't take much to begin crying. She was sure that this, right now, was one of the happiest moments of her life – along with her first time with Jack and her wedding.

"I love you Chris", she said softly, "as much as if I'd given birth to you. I know I can never replace your real Mom, but I promise I love you every bit as much as she did and I've promised her I'll look after you for her." He began to cry softly into her shoulder but squeezed her like he'd never let go.

Finally, however, he did. He pulled back and wiped his nose and eyes on his sleeve. The 'Mom' in her wanted to protest but knew now wasn't the time.

Chris slowly turned to look at Jack, obviously frightened by what he'd find. Before Jack had a chance to speak he started talking again. "You probably don't want me to call you Daddy because I know Charlie was your real son and you miss him. I know he's more special so it's okay, I can still call you Jack. I'll just tell Cameron -"

"Whoa", Jack put his finger over Chris' mouth and stopped the torrent of words. "Chris, of course I'll always love Charlie. He was my little boy, but so are you. I don't love him more than you – I love you as much as I did him. Like Sam" he turned to her and smiled, "no, I mean 'your Mommy' just said, I love you every bit as much as if you were our 'natural' son. And, just like Sam – I'd be more than proud to have you call me Daddy. I can't think of anything I'd like more!" With that Chris launched himself into Jack's arms. Sam watched and wasn't sure who was the more emotional of her two boys!

"So", Jack said after he'd wiped his own eyes, "when is this camping trip and am I invited?"

"Yeah!" Chris answered. "It's in three weeks and I brought the form home. We're going to be staying in tents and everything." He stopped, looked rather worried, "Ja ck" he stopped again grinned, "I mean Daddy, do you know how to camp?"

Sam laughed. "Oh yeah Chris, he's a great camper. In fact, I bet he's one of the best campers of all the fathers."

"Really?" he said, awed. Oh boy, this was going to be a great trip, he decided. He couldn't wait to tell Cameron.

"Okay my boy", Jack said firmly, "it's late and time you were sleeping. Come on", he reached down and lifted the boy up. "Let's get you tucked into bed. Come on Mommy, we have to kiss this boy goodnight."

It didn't take long for Chris to fall asleep once he'd hugged his 'Mommy and Daddy' (a few more tears were shed that night). Jack and Sam decided to head to bed themselves, worn out but happy with all the emotions of the evening.

"God, I love that boy", Jack said as he lay back on the pillow, his arms under his head. Sam was curled up with her head on his chest.

"Yeah, me too. I never really understood what they meant when they talked about a mother's love, but now I get it. I wanted to keep hugging him tonight."

"I know." He turned to look down at her, putting one hand on her head and gently caressing her hair. "You're an amazing Mom you know. He's one lucky little kid. Heck, I'm one lucky big kid."

"Oh, so you think of me as your Mommy do you?" she asked cheekily.

"Absolutely _not_! If you were my Mommy I definitely couldn't do _this_." That was the end of the talking for that night.

"So, camping eh?" she said next morning as she poured him a cup of coffee. "How do you feel about that?"

"It should be fun although I haven't slept on the ground in a while. I just wish you could come too although I guess no Mom's are allowed."

"Too bad. I could show them how to do it!"

"That you could Carter, that you could! Well, the nice thing is that we don't have to worry about bad guys, aliens or the end of the world. It should be just a nice, fun camping trip without any trouble. It'll just be a few dads and their sons out enjoying nature with nothing to worry about except maybe mosquitoes. I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to it.

It was too bad that Jack didn't count fortune telling amongst his new abilities or he would not have been looking forward to the coming trip at all. As he stood up to kiss Sam he had no idea of what was to come.


	2. Roasting Marshmallows

**_I wanted to thank all the wonderful people who have been reviewing and apologize for not responding directly. I have been travelling and only have intermittent access to internet. I read all my reviews via IPhone but find it hard to reply to everyone with that. Please know how much I love hearing from you - and I'm not ignoring you - and will get back to people directly when I'm home! For those who've asked - my family is joining me next month permanently (yeah). It's been tough but truly my writing has helped._**

**_This chapter is pretty much fluff/background. The adventure comes in the next chapter. Thanks and I hope you're enjoying this little sequet._**

**_Oops - I always forget the disclaimer - not mine nor shall it ever by mine (damn)._**

She had to laugh. She wasn't sure which of her two boys was the most excited – the eight year old or the 6'2" former General. Both of them were bouncing around the house like some frenetic wind up toys.

"Would you two settle down", she said for the 15th time that day. They gave her identical sheepish grins and really tried, for at least two minutes, to be calm. Of course it didn't work.

"Oh, just go and check your gear." As they both raced to the basement she called after them, "supper in ten minutes and don't forget to wash your hands!"

Two voices answered "Yes Mommy", and she laughed again. Boys!

Jack and Chris had been planning their camping trip for the last three weeks and were leaving the next day. Jack had spent hours teaching Chris how to pack – what things he'd need, what not to bring (toy spaceships, ninja swords and large stuffed animals were on the list). Interestingly though, yo yos were considered a 'must have'.

Not only did her husband teach Chris the finer arts of packing, he also spent time teaching him about camping in the wilderness. He and the little boy would spend hours outside, looking at plants and learning about tracking and survival training. Although Chris loved it, she suspected that Jack was in heaven.

It was great to see the two of them together, enjoying each other so much. They were good for one another. Chris needed a father to love him and spend time with him. Jack – well, Jack needed the love of a little boy to help heal some pretty deep wounds. Sam knew that Charlie's death had forever scarred him but she suspected there were lots of other hurts that were benefitting from the time spent with his new son. She smiled as she pictured how Jack's face had relaxed and begun to look so much younger. Yes, Chris was great for him.

The boys certainly hadn't forgotten her over the last few weeks. Jack made a point of always trying to include her. Sometimes she'd go along – and she'd been able to teach them both a thing or two – but she more often declined. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, it was just she thought they needed some male 'bonding' time.

There was another reason too, or at least she thought there might be. She hadn't been feeling all that well and was really tired. Added to that was the fact that she was late. She suspected she might be pregnant. If so, she was thrilled, but she refused to get her hopes up. Janet had told her, years ago, that she probably couldn't have children so she refused to even check. She and Jack were blessed to have Chris and if that's all they ever had they'd be happy. Just in case – just on the remote possibility – she decided to take it easy.

So, tomorrow was the big day. They were getting up early and meeting the rest of the dads and boys at the school. She was going to drop them off as they were taking a school bus to the camp area and then were going the rest of the way by foot. She worried that it was too much for boys that young and Jack had agreed – but that was what was planned and they didn't want to disappoint Chris.

"I'm sure they'll take it easy", Jack said as they'd lain in bed one night. "They've done this before so they must know what they're doing."

"Yeah, I hope so. It just seems early in the year to be out in the wilderness without transportation. We could still get snow in the mountains."

"Don't worry 'Mommy' – I'll watch out for him. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to him."

She reached over and kissed him. "Of course I know that. There's no one I'd rather have watching his 'six' then you." They cuddled for a few moments when Sam pulled back. "Who else is going, do you know?"

"There'll be 10 boys and eight dads. Two of the boys are twins and one man is bringing his nephew as well as his son. I guess the kid's father isn't around."

"That's sad."

"Yeah, at least he has his uncle. As for the Dads – I don't know them – just met them briefly at the orientation. The guy in charge is Brian Hohler."

"Really? That's Tyler's Dad."

"Tyler as in -?"

"Yes, the 'Gold'. I've met the kid – he's a real brat. I didn't actually blame Chris for getting mad at him. He's a nasty piece of work."

"Well, let's hope the Dad is better."

"So, you all ready for tomorrow?", she asked, smiling. If they weren't ready now they never would be!

"Oh yeah, we're all packed. Chris did a great job of getting his pack ready although he almost succumbed and snuck Thor in (Thor was his stuffed 'alien' – Jack had sent away to a gift store in New Mexico to get a stuffed toy that looked like the real Thor). Chris slept with him every night but he was just too big to bring.

"What if he gets scared?" Sam asked. She knew that normally Chris couldn't sleep without Thor.

Jack grinned. "He's in my pack." She laughed – leave it to Jack!

"What about you? What are you taking that you shouldn't?"

"Well, I thought about sneaking one of your teddies in – but decided that might cause some questions from the boys."

"Na – they'd just think it was 'yucky' – their Dads, on the other hand -"

"Oh God, yeah. I definitely don't want them getting any ideas about you! No, I'm not taking too much extra. I've brought a pack of cards and some candy – you know, the emergency stuff!"

Did she ever! She couldn't count the number of times they'd gotten stranded or captured when Jack had miraculously pulled out some chocolate. It always made them feel better.

"Other than that, just emergency supplies."

"No C-4?"

"Oh yeah, Carter, just what I need on a camping trip with 8 year old boys – explosives!"

"Hey, I bet they'd love it if you blew something up."

"It'd probably be their Dads! No, I think I'll leave the C-4 – and the zat and the P-90", he continued as she went to say something. "I'll take my knife and duct tape – that should do it."

The next morning dawned bright and early. Normally Chris hated to get up in the morning but this day he was up and dressed in two minutes flat. Sam worried that he'd get sick from so much excitement but Jack had just kissed her and told her not to worry.

"He'll be just fine. Once we're on the way he'll settle down. Cameron's going to be there and they'll sit together." Cameron was Chris' best friend, and his Dad was coming too.

They arrived at the school in the frigid morning air. It still felt like winter even though it had officially been spring for a few weeks. Jack and Chris both kissed Sam goodbye.

"We'll see you Monday at 4:00", Jack said. It was a long-weekend so they were spending two nights in tents.

"Okay you two – keep out of trouble and have lots of fun. I love you both!"

"Love you Mommy", Chris shouted as he hopped on the bust and went to find Cameron.

"Love you too Sammy", Jack called, and kissed her again. "I'll miss you."

"No you won't", she laughed. "You'll be having too much fun. Just stay out of trouble Jack!", she cautioned. "Don't go finding any aliens or anything."

"Nope, I promise – no aliens!" With one final peck on the cheek he turned and boarded the bus. She stood and watched until everyone had boarded and the bus took off. As she waved goodbye she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Hurrying back to the car she said to herself, 'you really need to figure this out, my girl!'

Jack had been correct. Chris and Cameron sat beside each other and whispered and giggled the whole way. The bus trip was supposed to take two hours and then it was three and a half hours walking until they reached the campsite. Jack sat back and just enjoyed watching the boys on the bus talking and laughing. God, he'd missed this!

"So, you're Chris' father?" he turned around and sitting behind him was an African American (Canadian?) man – obviously Cameron's father.

"Hi. Yes, I'm Jack O'Neill."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Matt – Matt Jeffers. I'm Cameron's father – as if you couldn't tell!" he laughed.

"Nice to meet you Matt. Chris adores Cameron."

"Yeah, they're good friends. I'm glad because Chris is a great kid. Most of them here are although there's a couple who are" he paused and grinned "let's just say they're rather unpleasant!"

Jack laughed. "Brats? Yeah, I heard. So Matt, what do you do?"

It turned out that Matt was a doctor. He and his wife had three children. "We thought at one time about adopting Chris – before you came along. We felt so bad for him and worried that Molly wouldn't be able to look after him. We were a little worried about taking on a fourth but we'd decided to do it when you showed up. Best thing that could ever have happened to Chris. He's crazy about you and your wife – talks about you all the time."

"Yeah, he's a great kid. We're lucky to have been able to adopt him since he's the only one we'll have." Matt made a sympathetic sound but didn't pry. Jack seemed okay with it so he assumed it wasn't the tragedy it would have been for Matt and his wife. "I think it was pretty good of you to consider adopting Chris yourselves – four is a lot to handle."

"It is and it was the only thing which made us hesitate." He laughed. "It's ironic though – Christine, my wife, just found out she's pregnant again. You'd think by our age – and the fact that I'm a doctor – we would have figured out by now what's causing it!"

Jack grinned. He really liked Matt – he was definitely a nice guy. "Congratulations!" he said.

"Yeah, as much as I grouse and complain, I admit that I'm thrilled. Maybe we'll get a girl this time."

"All boys?"

"Mmm hmmm. Christine says she thinks she'll leave if we get another boy. Too much grunting and wresting and rude noises for her. She wants someone to dress up and take shopping!"

For the rest of the trip the two men talked. Even though they had very different backgrounds, they found they had a lot in common. Since moving to Penticton Jack hadn't really had a male friend to talk to or do things with. Teal'c or Daniel would occasionally visit but it was sporadic. When Jack found out that Matt loved hockey – he figured he'd found a good friend.

"You should come play with us", Matt suggested. "We have an 'Old Farts' team that gets together once a week. It's fun, even though none of us are any good."

"Well, I'm afraid I certainly fit the bill. I'm definitely an 'old fart'. I might take you up on it one day although my knees aren't what they were."

"Same for all of us. For me it's the low back. Still, we play carefully – no rough stuff – just some fun shooting pucks and then we all go out for a beer. We'd love to have you."

"Thanks. I'll definitely plan on it."

They finally arrived at the end of the road trip. Everyone grabbed his pack and they lined up outside the bus. Brian Hohler, the 'leader' of the weekend got everyone organized, shouting unnecessarily at a number of he boys.

Jack heard Matt snort. "Problem?" He asked.

"Not really. It's just that the man's an ass. Thinks he knows everything but he's really an idiot. I don't know who put him in charge!"

"Just like his son I guess." When Matt looked at him questioningly he continued, "Chris got into a fight with him. I guess Tyler was picking on a girl in their class."

"Figures. He's quite a bully – unfortunately just like his father."

It took them longer than it should have to get organized, and it was all Brian's fault. He kept changing his mind on everything from the order the kids were supposed to be in, to what time the bus should return. Jack had this incredible urge to go up and get everything sorted out. He had to laugh at himself – he was too used to being in charge.

That actually made him realize – this was the first 'group' activity he'd been on in years in which he wasn't in charge. He suspected that it was going to be difficult, especially if it was true that Brian was an idiot – and it certainly was looking that way.

Finally they were marching out. Brian and two of the other fathers took the lead. Three more of the Dads stayed with the kids who were walking in two's and Matt and Jack brought up the rear. Is was the place Jack wanted to be – he could keep an eye on things here although he was pretty sure Brian had put him here to prove a point. What that point was, exactly, Jack didn't know. What he did know was that the man seemed to already have it in for him. Joy!

After walking for a solid two hours with their packs, the 8 year olds were all getting tired. Why Brian wouldn't stop and give them a rest he didn't know. They all could have probably use a snack as well, their little metabolisms needing some energy.

"I'm gonna go and ask to stop and take a break. The kids need it."

"Yeah they do", Matt agreed. "Good luck – Brian will give you trouble."

"Believe me, I can handle him." Jack strode quickly to the front of the line and tapped Brian on the shoulder. When the man realized who it was he frowned.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"We need to take a break. The kids are pretty tired. I think they could use a snack as well."

"The kids are just fine. What? Are they whining? They need to learn to toughen up." He looked at the tall man in front of him. "It's not the kids, is it?" he grinned at O'Neill. "You're a lot older than the other Dads. Feelin tired?"

"I'm fine", Jack said shortly. God, the man was an ass. "These are 8 year olds Hohler, they need a rest." He turned around and shouted, "everyone, we're taking a 10 minute break. Drop your packs and rest. No one is to go anywhere. If you need to take a whiz, let one of the adults know. You are _not_ allowed to wander off with or without a friend, you all got that?" There were nods all around but also huge sighs of relief, not just from the kids but from the fathers as well.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Hohler asked furiously. "I'm in charge here, not you."

"Then start acting like it. These kids needed a break – just look at them. There's no reason we couldn't take 10 minutes." He turned to head back to the end of the line. Brian looked after him with hatred blazing in his eyes.

Jack walked up to where Matt was sitting on a fallen log and eased himself down. He was pleased over the fact that he wasn't feeling tired at all. He was still in damn good shape!

"You don't look tired", Matt echoed his own thoughts.

"I'm not."

"Really? I'm exhausted and to look at them so are the others. You must be in great shape."

"Yeah, I've done a lot of hiking and camping in my career."

"Weren't you in the military?"

'Mmm hmm – Air Force."

"Air Force? And you did a lot of hiking and camping? I thought you flew in the Air Force."

"We do", Jack chortled, "we also do ground missions. I led a team for a number of years so I'm pretty used to this."

"That's great. So you know what you're doing?"

"Oh yeah."

"Thank God. I was kinda worried. Brian doesn't know anything. I debated even coming but Cameron would have killed me. Hopefully it'll all go off without a hitch. So, when did you leave the Air Force?"

"About a year ago. I finally retired."

"Molly told us that you were in an accident and that she took you in?"

"Yeah. I was riding a bike – motor bike – across the country and decided to come into Canada. My bike hit some ice and I lost control and flew off – at least that's what they tell me, I don't really remember it. I ended up with a broken leg and that's how I met Molly and Chris."

The other man looked puzzled. "Uh, what about Sam?" he asked. Matt had met her a number of times when she'd picked up Chris from a play date.

"Sam? We worked together for a number of years. She was on my team. It was only after we both retired that we got together. We've been married for three months."

"Wow, I had no idea", he grinned. "So, newlyweds huh?"

"Oh yeah!"

"You're lucky – she's a looker – and nice too."

"That she is – and smart, really smart."

Matt looked enquiringly at him.

"She's a genius – really, an honest to goodness, certified genius. She's an astrophysicist."

"Good lord! So what are you doing in Penticton?"

"It's a great city and a great place for Chris. I've been asked back to Washington, to take a job, but it's hard to decide. We really like it here and I don't know if I'm ready for the rat race again."

"No, can't say as I blame you. What would the position be?"

"Uh – well, it's heading up a department."

Matt just looked at him.

"It's back in the Air Force."

"So you'd head up something in the Air Force?"

"Yeah."

"You must have been an officer then?"

"Yeah."

Matt laughed. "I gather you don't want to talk about it?"

"Not really", Jack grinned. "It's not that I'm trying to hide anything, I just kind of prefer to be a 'civilian'. Too many questions otherwise."

AT that moment Brian announced their break was over. All the kids, and some of the Dads, groaned and stood up. They put their packs on and headed out for the remainder of their trip.

By the time they'd arrived they were already exhausted and starving. Before eating, however, they all had to put up their tents. Jack and Chris had theirs up in under 10 minutes. Jack was an expert and he had taught Chris so together they did a quick job.

"Can we help?" he and Chris walked over to Cameron and his Dad.

Matt looked frustrated, but relieved when he saw Jack. "Yes please. I can't seem to get the damn poles right.

Jack soon had them sorted out and helped get the tent up. He then went around and helped a number of the other Dad's and sons. Pretty soon all the tents were up except Brian's. Jack could hear him shouting at his son, blaming him for the tangled mess in front of him.

"Can I help?" Jack asked.

"You! I guess you think you're better than everyone, don't you." Brian hissed.

"No, but I do know how to put up a tent. If you don't want my help that's fine, there's no need to insult me." He turned and began walking away. "By the way, you have the wrong pole in there. You need the longer one."

Eventually Brian figured it out but, by the time he had, the boys were already making lunch. Jack had got them going, knowing that the growing boys needed food and quick, or there'd be some meltdowns. The boys and their Dads were happily preparing sandwiches when Brian came storming up.

"I wanna talk to you O'Neill", he said loudly. Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, talk." He answered shortly.

"I'm in charge here – that's what the Cub leader said. I want you to stop butting in. You're just to do as you're told old man."

Jack stood and looked down at the shorter man. "You listen Hohler, I'd be more than happy to do as I was told if it was something intelligent. So far, you've done nothing. These kids were tired and starving and needed to be looked after. If you don't like that, tough, but don't expect me to sit back and do nothing. Now, I'm hungry and want to eat. I suggest you go help." He turned his back away from the leader and resumed his sandwich making.

"He's going to be trouble." Matt said softly.

"Unfortunately I agree with you. I've known a number of guys like him in my life. Give them a little bit of power and they become tyrants!"

"Jack?"

"Yeah Matt?"

"Can you just tell me one thing?"

Jack looked at him suspiciously. "I guess."

"What rank were you when you retired?"

Jack bit his lip. "Uh, General."

"That's what I thought. How many stars?"

"Three."

"Three? Wow. So you're used to leading men?"

"And women."

"Sorry, yes, and women." Matt started to laugh. "If only Brian knew! He thinks he's important because he led the Shriners parade! Wait, you said Sam served with you? What was her rank?"

"Colonel."

"Geesh – you're an Air Force power couple!"

"_Retired_ Air Force."

"Okay, _retired_. You're still pretty powerful. God, I'm glad you're here."

That afternoon the kids were divided into two groups along with the parents and they played in two teams against each other. They did a variety of silly camp games and, by the time supper arrived, the kids were exhausted.

Jack didn't want to admit it but he was feeling somewhat tired himself. He felt much better when he looked around at the younger men and realized they looked ready to collapse. He pumped his fist – yeah, he was 'super Jack'. Thank you Thor, he called up to the sky.

By the time they'd eaten and roasted marshmallows and sung a few camp songs (Jack didn't sing – any camp songs he knew from his Air Force days were so not appropriate for little kids!), the kids were ready to hit their beds. Jack took Chris to the outhouse and then helped him brush his teeth. He did his own ablutions and tucked the little boy in. As he readied himself for bed he missed the sight of Brian staring at him, a frown on his face. He would have been worried if he'd then seen the smirk the camp leader was sporting. Jack crawled into his sleeping bag and looked over at his son. It had been a great day and the little boy had had so much fun! He was looking forward to tomorrow.


	3. Lions and Tigers and BEARS, Oh My!

**_Whump Alert!_**

Jack groaned as a little body flopped down on top of him.

"Daddy, wake up. It's time to have breakfast. I'm starving!"

Jack cracked his eyes open and groaned again. He'd gotten out of the practice of rising at dawn. And he could tell, from being able to see his breath, that it was cold out.

"T's too early", he muttered, closing his eyes. A small hand reached over and pulled an eyelid up. He found himself looking directly into the face of a very excited eight year old.

"Come on Daddy! We've got to get up. We're camping and Mommy says you have to get up 'with the sun' when you're camping.

Remind him to kill Carter, he thought to himself. With his third groan of the day he forced himself to sit up, bringing the sleeping bag with him. He turned a ferocious look on his son.

"Why did I say I wanted to go camping?", he growled. Chris just grinned, knowing Jack's bark was way worse than his bite.

"Come _on_ Daddy. The other kids and Dads will already be up if we don't hurry."

"And that'll be bad why?"

"Cause, I told everybody you were an 'expert'. "

Great! Now he had a reputation to live up to.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. You realize of course, I'll have to get you for this." Chris grinned again and began to tug the sleeping bag down.

With a sigh Jack helped him and then slowly got to his feet. After a good stretch he looked around for his boots and pulled them on. He hadn't worn these for a long time – they were his Air Force boots – but they still fit like a glove.

"Okay young Christopher O'Neill – let's go."

"Good, cause I gotta pee real bad."

"Oh, so that's what this was all about. You just didn't want to go to the outhouse by yourself." Chris turned and beamed at him but nodded. "All right then, lead the way."

As it turned out, he and Chris were the first one's up. As they returned from the outhouse he could hear voices and groans of the other men who would be much rather sleeping in on a Sunday morning than waking up to a frigid spring day in the mountains.

He hated to admit it, but now that he was up he was really enjoying himself. He'd forgotten how great waking up outside, in the fresh air, could be. The only thing he missed was Sam. No, he took that back – he also missed Teal'c and Daniel. He thought about it for a moment and decided, right then and there, he was going to invite the team back for a camping trip of their own. It would be like old times, except they'd have Chris with them. He was pretty sure all of them would enjoy that.

"Hey O'Neill, since you're up why don't you make yourself useful and make the coffee?" Brian was scowling at him as he returned to his tent, but Jack simply nodded and walked over to their camp kitchen area. The man was definitely an ass but he'd decided not to let it get to him for Chris' sake.

The boy needed this time, Jack knew. He was still grieving the loss of his parents and something like this was a way to build pleasant memories during a difficult time. He knew that Chris was happy, but there were still times he cried himself to sleep at night. Those nights he'd often crawl in with Jack and Sam and cuddle until the pain was gone and he was asleep.

Jack couldn't help but suffer with the boy. He knew what that pain was like, as did Sam who had lost her Mom at a young age and her father just last year. Ironically, it made them the best parents to help Chris through this.

But now, this weekend, was a time for fun and relaxation and Jack was determined that it be great for the little boy. He was not going to let an idiot ruin things for any of them.

Slowly the others got up and all the Dads were very appreciative of the hot coffee. He made hot chocolate for the boys and soon everyone was sitting around the table waiting for breakfast. When Brian still hadn't emerged from his tent Jack and Matt began making pancakes and bacon before they had a mutiny on their hands.

"Who wants Spiderman?" Jack shouted as he lifted another pancake off the griddle. Jeremy called it and Jack dropped it on the plate held out to him. Matt leaned over and grinned.

"Looks just like batman."

"What! You can't tell the difference between Spiderman and Batman? What kind of a Dad are you?"

"I guess my skills never extended to hero pancakes."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Jack scolded. He looked at the boys. "Dr. Jeffers doesn't know how to make hero pancakes! What should we do with him?" For the next few minutes the boys threw out ideas including putting snakes in his sleeping bag, making him eat bugs and making him climb a tree. It was Chris who finally suggested he should have to make the pancakes the next day.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." He turned to the other man and smiled. "I'll want a Homer Simpson one tomorrow."

Everyone was almost finished by the time Brian and his son appeared. He threw a fit when he realized that Jack and Matt had gone ahead and fed the boys.

"I had breakfast all planned." He complained. "We weren't going to have pancakes until tomorrow. I was going to make scrambled eggs! "

"The boys were starving", Matt said calmly, "and they asked for pancakes. I suggest if you want to decide what they're going to eat you get up earlier!" He stood up and strode off, too angry to sit. Jack just remained in his seat calmly sipping his coffee. Brian glared at him but he simply raised his eyebrow in reply.

"Problem Hohler?" he asked gently.

The man turned and stalked off. Jack just shook his head – definitely an ass.

After breakfast everyone was going on a hike. There was a waterfall a few miles away that was supposed to be spectacular. It turned out there were also some caves that the boys could explore. Jack knew they'd love that. He helped Chris get ready and then made up a day pack for himself. The two of them headed out to where the others were waiting.

"You don't need a pack O'Neill", Brian scoffed. "We're only going for a couple of hours. We're not spending the night."

"I know, but it's always wise to bring some supplies. You never know what'll happen."

"Yeah? You've had things happen when you've been camping have you? Must not be very good at it!"

"Come on Hohler, lay off", Roger, one of the other Dads interjected. "Let's get going." He looked over and smiled at Jack. None of the others had any use for Brian he'd noticed.

Jack glanced up at the sky and grew a little worried. It was clouding over and they could be in for some bad weather. Even though it was spring, there was always a chance of snow in the mountains. He didn't like the idea of getting too far away from camp.

He walked up to the camp leader. "Brian", he said calmly. He didn't want to anger the man if he didn't have to. "I'm wondering if this is a good idea. It looks like it's clouding up and we could be in for some weather."

"A little cold bother you O'Neill? I guess when you get older you can't take things as well."

"Look, I don't know what you problem is with me – and I don't really care, I'm just concerned about the boys. They're in our care and I don't want to see them get hurt."

"I know what I'm doing O'Neill. I've been camping many times and have never gotten into trouble – unlike you I guess. If you're scared you can stay back with your - son." He turned and walked ahead.

Jack was seriously tempted to do just that. Looking over at Chris' smiling face he knew the boy would be terribly upset. On the other hand, he didn't want to take any chances with the boy. Then there was also the fact that he really didn't trust anyone with Hohler and hated the idea of leaving the group in his care. Finally, he decided to watch and if it looked like things were going to get worse he'd speak to the other fathers and insist they head back. It wasn't worth putting anyone's life in danger.

They kept walking and he continued to glance up at the sky. He really wished Carter were here with one of her doohickeys to tell what the weather was doing. He was pretty sure it was going to storm but wasn't positive.

"Something wrong?" Matt asked. "You keep looking up."

"I'm worried it's going to storm. The sky is looking ominous."

"Yeah, I noticed it to. I was wondering if we should head back?"

"I think so. I tried saying something to Hohler but that didn't go over well."

"No", laughed Matt, "I'm sure it didn't. You should have told him the weather was great and we should go for an extra hike. He would have turned everyone around immediately."

"Do you really think he's that much of an idiot?

"Oh yeah! Come on, let's say something to the others."

"Hey folks!" Matt called. "Jack and I have been talking and both of us are concerned about the weather. It looks like we might be in for a storm. We don't think it's wise to chance it anymore to day so we're heading back." A number of the fathers nodded, having noticed the darkening sky themselves. The boys, of course, groaned and argued.

"No, we have to go on", Brian shouted. "We'll be there in half an hour. There's no storm coming – it's just a few clouds. It'll clear by this afternoon."

"I don't think so Brian", David Pender answered. "I've lived here all my life and those are definitely storm clouds. I agree, we need to head back to the tents. In fact, I think we should consider heading back to town. It could get bad."

There was some murmuring from the adults and the boys really started complaining. After things calmed down Brian spoke again.

"You're all just listening to O'Neill – who doesn't know anything. He's new here – and he's not the most successful camper in the world, eh O'Neill?" he said with mock humor. "And anyway, we have to go on. I let some of the boys run on ahead. They're probably at the waterfall already."

"What!" Matt exclaimed. "You did _what?_" He looked around and noticed that Tyler along with the twins were gone. When their father Jason realized he started yelling at Brian.

"Who the hell gave you the right to tell my sons they could go?" he shouted. "You're an idiot Hohler!" He turned to Jack. "I'm gonna go get them and then I think we should head back like you said. I also think we should fire Hohler. He's gonna get someone hurt."

"I think just a couple of us should go and the rest should head back. There's no point in all of us being out. I think it's going to start snowing any minute." Jack said.

The Dads discussed what they should do. In the end Jack, Jason and Brian went on to the waterfall. Matt was in charge of leading the group that was heading back to the campsite.

"If it starts to get bad, call the bus company and have them come and pick you up. Make your way as quickly as possible – don't worry about the stuff – we can come back for it. Just bundle the kids up and stick together. It'll probably be okay but it's better to take every precaution."

"What about you guys?"

"We're going to hurry as fast as we can and we'll head back. Have the bus wait for us."

Chris was, needless to say, upset that his father was going ahead without him.

"Why can't I come?"

"Because Chris, we're just going to pick up the boys and bring them right back. We have to go quickly because a storm is coming. You go with Cameron and Dr. Jeffers. We'll be back before you know it." As Chris went to complain Jack squatted down beside him.

"Chris, I need you to be a big boy for me okay? You need to be an example to the other boys and to help Dr. Jeffers. You remember all that I taught you don't you?"

"Yeah", he said softly.

"Good, then make me and your Mommy proud okay?"

"Okay." He looked up at Jack. "You won't be gone long will you?"

"No, we'll be back as soon as possible. Now go!" he gently swatted Chris on the rear and smiled at the boy. Chris turned around and gave him a quick hug and then walked over to Matt.

"I'll watch him, don't worry.

"Thanks!"

"Good luck – I don't envy you with Hohler."

"Me either but don't worry, I've spent years dealing with snakes!"

Brian was furious that Jack was coming, insisting that he was totally capable of getting the boys. Jason, however, was relieved and insisted that he wanted Jack. He was extremely worried about his sons.

They headed out towards the waterfall, Brian complaining the whole way. Jack spent quite a few minutes wishing he had a zat!

As they neared the area of the waterfall they could hear boys' voices. Suddenly there was a splash and the men took off running. They got to the small stream just in time to see one of the boys lying face down, not moving. His brother, the other twin, was crying.

"God no!", Jason shouted and began rushing towards the stream. Jack followed close behind while Brian stayed still, looking on in shock.

It was only a few seconds before Jason had pulled his son from the water. It appeared as if he'd been only stunned as suddenly the little boy was sputtering and crying.

"Bring him over here", Jack gestured. "We have to get him out of those wet things. It's getting colder." It was true – the temperature had suddenly dropped dramatically and they could all see their breath. Jack knew how easy it was, especially for children, to get hypothermia.

He pulled off his pack and reached in for a change of clothes. They'd be huge on the boy but should help keep him warm. Unfortunately, they didn't have an extra coat. Jack also pulled out a small, super absorbent towel that he carried when camping.

Jason quickly stripped his son Scott out of his wet clothes, the boy shivering and still crying. Jack reached over and rubbed him down quickly and then pulled his sweatshirt over the boy. He rolled up the sleeves and then got Scott to pull on his sweat pants. He grabbed a bit of cord from his pack and tied it around the waist. He finally reached down and rolled up the pant legs. He looked at the boy and had to laugh – but at least he was warm.

Fortunately, it turned out that his coat was waterproof so he was able to wear it. Jack stuffed the wet clothes in his pack. "Okay everybody, let's head back. We need to move quickly now."

They started moving when Jack realized that Brian and Tyler were missing. "God, what now!" he muttered in disgust. He promised himself that he'd never go camping with those two ever again.

"Brian", he called, "Tyler, where are you guys?" He looked around but couldn't see them. In frustration he told Jason to wait and began to search around the area. He finally found them sitting in a cave, having a snack.

"What the – heck – are you two doing?" he asked angrily. "We have to get back. Didn't you hear me call."

"Yeah", Brian answered, "and who made you king?"

"Hohler, what is wrong with you? This isn't about me. This is about the storm that is coming and the fact that we have to get a move on it. Come on. You too Tyler, let's go."

"My Dad says it's okay and so I don't have to go with you. He's smarter than you and knows more about camping. He says you're just a city guy who pretends to know what he's doing."

"He does, does he? Well, I'm not going to worry about what your Dad says right now. Frankly, I don't care what he says about me but a storm is coming and we have to get out of here unless we all want to freeze to death."

"What the hell do you know about any of this O'Neill? It's like Tyler said – you're just a city dude who doesn't know anything. Just leave us alone."

Jack had had enough. He walked up to Hohler and grabbed his shirt. "I'll tell you what I know Hohler. I spent my life leading missions into places you can't even imagine! I've 'camped' in jungles all over the world, in deserts, in mountains and even in Antarctica so don't tell me what I know or don't know. Now, get your kid and get your ass out there and back to camp. We're leaving."

Brian muttered something under his breath but told Tyler to get up. He didn't know who O'Neill really was, but, for the first time he'd been scared when he saw the man's expression. Whatever he'd done, he could be one scary dude!

They started on the journey back. Jack noticed that the temperature seemed to have dropped even more and the wind had died down completely. It was absolutely still, which often signified the coming of a bad storm – the proverbial 'calm before the storm'.

He kept trying to hurry everyone but Tyler was holding them up. The little brat was intentionally going slowly Jack was sure. If the kid had been his he would have been sorely tempted to take him out behind the woodshed! It was something he never ever contemplated with Chris but he was sure it might do Tyler some good.

They were within a few hundred feet of the camp when it happened. He should have figured that people like Brian and Tyler would cause some major problem. There were always idiots in the world who created havoc for others.

"Hey look", shouted Tyler. Jack glanced over at the boy but wasn't sure what he was looking at. Suddenly, without warning Tyler began to run through the trees.

"Isn't he cute?" he called. Just then Jack saw what it was and his heart dropped into his shoes.

"TYLER NO!" he shouted. Ripping off his pack he took after the boy, hoping to get to him in time.

"But he's cute", the boy shouted back and kept going. Ahead of him was a baby bear cub. It looked young enough to have just emerged from its winter den with its mother; and, its mother was what Jack was afraid of.

"Get back Tyler", he shouted. "The mother is probably around somewhere." Of course, the boy ignored him. Jack finally reached him and went to grab him when he heard a tremendous roar. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the charging bear. God! He threw Tyler behind him and screamed, RUN!"

He turned around himself, although he knew there was no way he'd ever out run an angry mother bear. He knew the only thing to do was to drop down and play dead. With his heart practically leaping into his throat, he did just that, wrapping his arms around his neck and head.

The bear was on him almost instantly. She took a mighty swipe at him and he could feel the sharp claws ripping his back. She rolled him over a couple of times, continuing to paw him, but he forced himself not to move. He knew his only chance was to pretend to be dead and not to move. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life. She had turned him over so he was lying on his back and he could feel her breath as she leaned over and sniffed him. He could smell her putrid breath as her mouth practically touched his face. Finally, with one final swipe, which ripped his upper arm and chest, she turned and walked over to her cub. In seconds the two animals had faded deep into the forest.

Jack was shaking so badly by this time he knew there was no way he could even hope to get up. He vaguely heard voices but he wasn't quite sure if they were real or not. He knew he was going into shock but at the moment didn't care about anything. All he knew was that he was alive. A minute ago he thought he was experiencing his last moments on earth.

"Jack" a disembodied voice spoke. "Jack, are you okay?" He finally opened his eyes and looked into the worried face of – what was his name? Oh yeah, Jason.

"Don't know", he said quietly. "I –" suddenly the nausea built and he turned and began to vomit. He knew it was a combination of the pain and the fear. He could still feel and smell the breath of the bear as she'd put her face to his.

When he was done he collapsed back down, the pain now getting really bad.

"Come on Jack", Jason said, "We have to get you back to camp and bandage you up. Do you think you can walk?"

"Yeah", he said faintly. Jason helped him up although he swayed and would have fallen if it weren't for the other man. "Where's Brian?" he asked.

"I don't know. I think he ran when he saw the bear", the other man said in disgust." Putting Jack's arm over his shoulder he started walking. "Come on, just hold on to me. We'll be back soon and then you can rest."

It didn't feel like 'soon' to Jack. In fact, it felt like it took forever. He was feeling cold and dizzy and very faint by the time they arrived. He heard a shout and the next thing he knew hands were helping him into his tent and onto his sleeping bag. He was sure he could hear Chris crying and tried to let him know he was okay but the words wouldn't come.

"It's okay Jack", a soothing voice spoke. "We're gonna get you all fixed up here. Just relax and go to sleep." That sounded wonderful. With a small nod he closed his eyes and passed out.

"How is he?" Jason was waiting, with the other Dads, minus Brian, outside the tent. Matt had been in there for almost an hour with Robert, one of the fathers who'd had training as a medic.

"He's lost a lot of blood but I managed to sew up the wounds. The bear tore his back up in a few places and he had some claw marks on his arm and chest. The main worry now is infection. Wounds from bears are notoriously dangerous because of the germs the animals carry. Is there any word on the bus?"

"No, we still can't get through. We think it must be the storm but none of our cells are getting a signal."

"Damn!" Matt said, "If we don't get him help soon this could be bad. I'll need people to take turns sitting with him and making sure he drinks and keeps warm. If we can get him to the hospital soon he should be okay."

"I'll stay with him", offered Jason. "I think you'd better go talk to Chris. He's pretty frightened."

"Crap, I'm sure the poor kid's terrified." He started to walk to his own tent where he knew Cameron was with Chris. Before he got there he turned. "Where's Brian?" he asked.

"In his tent", replied David. "He got back before Jason helped O'Neill back. We haven't seen him since."

Matt just nodded. It was about time someone dealt with the man. With a sigh he went to tell Chris his father was alive. He just hoped O'Neill would stay that way.


	4. The Storm

**_Happy Mother's Day everyone!_**

"I'm worried. It's looking bad and we still can't contact the bus driver or anyone at home." Jason spoke softly to Matt as they stood outside Jack's tent.

"Where's Hohler?" Matt asked.

"In his tent. He refuses to come out. " Jason said in disgust.

"God, I don't know what to do. It's starting to snow and we could be stuck out here in a blizzard!" Matt did not claim to be an outdoorsman.

"Won't they send the bus anyway? They must know it's getting bad."

"Yeah, you'd think so. I wonder if we should just head out?" Matt asked. He really didn't know what to do.

"Is O'Neill awake? Maybe we should ask him. He seems to be a pretty decisive guy."

Matt laughed. "Yeah, he should be. He's a three-star General."

"You're kidding! Really? Wow, no wonder he took Brian down a peg."

"I'll see if he's awake. He's pretty weak though and that's another thing – I don't think he's up to walking out of here. We're gonna need a stretcher."

Matt opened the tent flap and crawled in to check on his patient. Little Chris sat by his Dad, holding his hand. Matt could tell the little boy had been crying but was trying to be strong.

"How is he Chris?" Matt asked gently.

"Okay I guess", the little boy sniffed. "He's still asleep."

"That's good. That's what he needs to get better."

"He's not gonna die is he?"

"No, of course not. He just needs some medicine and some rest and he'll be as good as new, you'll see."

"How can I get any rest with the two of you talking!"

"Daddy!" Chris turned and threw his arms around Jack.

"Whoa, careful there kiddo. I'm a little sore." Chris sat back, a guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm glad to see you too." He looked at Matt. "How's everything going?" Matt glanced at Chris and Jack understood the older man didn't want to say anything with the little boy present.

"Chris, I could really use a hot drink. Do you think you could go ask one of the Dads to fix me a coffee?"

"Herbal tea", said Matt. "Sorry", he laughed when he saw Jack's expression, "I don't want you to have too much caffeine right now." He turned to Matt. "Ask David – Mark's father – to fix him some herbal tea – there's some in with the coffee."

Chris looked to his father who nodded, although with a grimace, and he scurried out of the tent.

"So, what's up?" Jack asked as Matt began to examine him. He was feeling better although still weak. He was surprised actually, at how he felt. Considering the damage the bear had done and the blood he'd lost he thought he'd be in much worse shape.

Matt frowned, surprised also by how well Jack seemed to be doing. Still, his wounds looked sore and he had a bit of a fever. He knew the infection would probably set in soon.

"The weather", Matt finally answered Jack's question. " It's starting to really snow and we still can't reach the bus. We're not sure what to do."

"Hohler any help?"

"Mr. "I know what I'm doing? No – he's hiding in his tent."

"Damn! Well, we have to figure something out or we could be in trouble. Go get him and let's see what he knows about the bus. Maybe they made some kind of emergency plan." Jack didn't figure it was likely, but they had to have all the details before making plans of their own.

As Matt went to leave the tent Jack called after him. "And tell him to get in here fast – we need to move it or we could be in trouble. Oh, and make sure everything is organized and the kids are dressed warmly. I don't want anyone wandering off."

Matt nodded. As he left the tent he felt incredibly relieved. At least they had someone who knew what he was doing. As he walked towards their 'leaders' tent it he thought again that O'Neill was looking remarkably good for a man who'd just been mauled by a bear. He'd have to check him out again in a little while.

"Brian", he called as he stood outside the tent. When there was no answer he called again, more sharply. "BRIAN!"

"What?" an angry voice answered.

"We need to talk to you. Come over to Jack's tent. We're gonna discuss what to do."

"Tell him if he wants to talk to me he can come here."

"Don't be an ass Hohler! The man's injured – because of your son, if what I heard was true, so get your butt in gear and get out here." When there was no sound from the tent Matt looked around to see couple of the other Dads standing there. David Pender walked over.

"Hohler, it's me, David. If you don't get your ass out here now a few of us are going to come in and haul you out. We're sick of your attitude. You're supposed to be in charge so start acting like it!"

After that there was a brief moment of silence and then they could hear movement. A couple of seconds later the zipper was opened and Brian came out, a fierce scowl on his face.

"I don' t know what you need me for. You seem to be listening to O'Neill anyway." No one said anything as he walked to Jack's tent. He looked around once and, meeting the glares of some of the fathers, bent over and crawled into the tent of the man he'd come to hate.

Matt, David and Jason all followed. They had become the unofficial 'leaders' of the expedition. The other Dads stayed out and kept the kids busy and out of trouble. It was now snowing heavily.

"What do you want O'Neill?" Hohler asked.

"We want to know what arrangements you made with the bus driver. Where there any contingency plans? What about in the case of bad weather like this."

"The bus was to pick us up and 1:30 tomorrow. That's the only arrangement we made", he answered shortly.

"Do you think they'll send help when they see the storm?" Jack asked. He would assume so but wanted to get Brian's thoughts.

"They might, I don't know."

"What the hell _do_ you know Hohler?", Jason asked in disgust. "I can't believe they put you in charge!"

The other man just shrugged. He wasn't going to help these idiots.

"Look", Jack spoke up. "I'm pretty sure they'll at least send the bus and probably a rescue team to come and get us. They're not going to let a group of kids stay out in this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we see someone soon."

"I doubt that", Brian added, a slight smirk on his face.

"Why not?" Jack frowned.

"Cause they don't know where we are."

"What? Of course they do. The bus knows where we got off and they know where we were headed."

"They think we're at Pike's Peak."

"Yeah, that's where we are." Matt said, confused.

"No we're not. I decided to change the plans."

"You – what?" David looked at him. "You changed the plans? Why for God's sake?"

"I decided we should try something different. Pike's Peak is about 20 miles east of here."

"And you did it without telling anyone, right?"

Brian just shrugged.

"The bus driver might remember which direction we came?" Matt added hopefully.

"Nah", Brian said. "The trail starts out the same but forks about a mile in. Instead of going right we went left – west. This is Limberlost. They won't know we're here."

Jason launched himself at the other man, which was quite a feat in a small tent. Before he had a chance to do anything Jack sat up and grabbed the irate man.

"Crap", he gasped as he felt some of the stitches break. "We can't afford to do that right now. We have to figure out how to get back or at least how to get out of this weather."

Brian sat silently, looking scared but belligerent. The other men were just worried.

"Help me up", Jack asked Matt.

"No O'Neill, you need to lie down and rest."

"I'll do that when we're back. Right now none of us have the luxury. We have to figure out what to do." With a shake of his head Matt carefully helped the other man sit up.

"Okay, we know it's over three hours back to the bus – but with this weather it'll take longer. It's also getting dark which means it'll be impossible to see and the temperature is going to get really cold. We need to see if we can find shelter." He turned to Brian. "Are there any caves close by?"

The other man shrugged again and Jack wished he hadn't stopped Jason. "I'll ask again, and I expect an answer. Are there any caves close by?"

Brian looked at the ill looking man in front of him and felt fear run down his spine. He didn't know it, but he was looking at a man who had faced down enemies who would have made him run to his Mommy, crying.

Instead of listening to the little bit of common sense he had - or to the fear he felt – he decided to fight.

"I don't have to tell you anything O'Neill. Who the hell do you think you are? You come in here like some big guy thinkin' you know everything about camping and about leading us. You're just some stupid city accountant or something. You have no business telling me or anyone what to do."

When the other men went to leap to his defense Jack just put up his hand to stop them saying anything. He then looked at the little weasel in front of him.

"Hohler, you are an ass and a fool. I am no accountant – although even if I were, I'd do a better job of leading this group than you ever could. As to why you should listen to me – well I'll tell ya why – it's because I can save your sorry ass, even though right now, I'm tempted to leave you to freeze your balls off, or maybe get eaten by that hungry mama bear." He struggled to his feet. "Oh, and by the way – in case you're wondering – I am _definitely_ not an accountant. I'm a black ops trained, three star General in the American Air Force. I've spent my career fighting the enemy here and overseas. I've been on hundreds of missions in places that'd make you pee your pants. I've killed my fair share of vicious, evil idiots. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I've also thrown in a few arrogant morons just for fun. So, if you want to get out of here alive, I suggest you shut up and do what you're told!" By this time Jack was standing, although he had his injured arm wrapped around his stomach and was hunched over. Still, the men looked at him with increased respect. He was definitely one helluva scary dude!

"The only caves I know are the ones by the waterfall." Brian said hurriedly. He then forced his way through the others and left the tent as fast as he could.

Jason laughed, "I think you may already have made him pee his pants!" Jack grinned in return. He hadn't been an officer for nothing!

"Did you really?" asked David.

"Really what?" O'Neill asked, confused.

"Kill morons for fun?"

"What?" O'Neill looked startled and then grinned again. "No, of course not, although there were a few I would like to have gotten rid of but unfortunately the Air Force frowns on that kind of thing. No, I only killed our enemies in battle situations."

"Okay, but I'm sure Brian thinks you did." David laughed. "Did you see his expression?"

"Okay folks, we'd better figure out what to do now." Jack reached out and took Matt's arm. He was feeling pretty dizzy. "We need to put out some markers in case they do an air search. Then we need to either find or build a shelter. What time is it?"

"It's almost 3:30", Jason answered.

"Okay, we only have a few hours till dark. Let's get moving." Jack crawled out of the tent and sat down on one of the camp chairs outside. From there he directed the Dads and the kids. He'd given it some thought and decided that the best thing to do was to try and head to the caves. They were just over an hour away if they moved quickly. They would provide shelter which was imperative. The tents wouldn't be enough if they got as much snow as he was expecting.

Within 20 minutes they had everything packed and ready to go. They divided the kids up and put two parents in charge of each group. He then tied a rope between all the groups. If visibility got bad it was easy for someone to wander off and get lost.

"Let's go folks", he shouted. "Move as quickly as you can but watch where you're walking. We don't need any sprained or broken ankles."

He'd assigned two of the Dads the jobs of leaving markers so that any rescue team could follow their path. He'd also left a note, covered in plastic and nailed to a tree. He hoped to hell someone figured out pretty quickly where they were.

It was tough going as the wind whipped up the snow which was falling rapidly. The temperature had dropped dramatically and it was getting dangerously cold. Many of the boys were already shivering. Jack prayed they wouldn't have to deal with frostbite or hypothermia.

He himself kept going but it was rough and getting rougher with each step. He was still feeling weak and dizzy but knew he couldn't worry about it right now. Matt stayed close and a couple of times had to steady him or he would have fallen.

"Thanks", he looked at the man who was quickly becoming a good friend. "I'll owe you a beer when we get home."

"Make it an Irish Coffee and you're on."

"Oh, that was cruel", Jack laughed. "What I wouldn't give for one of those right now."

They kept trudging through the snow which was becoming deeper with every minute that passed. It was turning into quite a blizzard. Jack wondered if the rescue teams would even be able to make it out to look for them. He was pretty sure Sam was worried sick by this point.

He smiled as he thought of his wife. The thing that would upset her the most, he knew, was that she wasn't with them. He understood the feeling – it was always harder to have to watch or wait then to be in on the action. All of his former teammates had this feeling that they had to _be_ there to protect one another.

"Welcome to my world Carter", he said softly, remembering how it had felt when he was no longer accompanying Sg1 on their missions.

"What?" Matt asked, looking at him.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about my wife."

"You call her 'Carter'? I thought her name was Sam?"

"It is – Sam Carter. For years we served together so I called her Carter." When the man looked at him strangely he grinned. "It's a military thing. Now it's a sign of affection – kind of a private joke between us."

"We're coming to what looks like the waterfall", Barry Smith, a local carpenter, shouted. "Where are the caves?"

They all stopped and looked at Brian who pointed off to the right. "Over there, about 50 feet. You've got to be careful – you have to walk on a narrow ledge to reach them."

"Hohler, you'd better lead us. Okay everyone, let's follow Mr. Hohler – and go carefully, we don't want anyone to fall."

It was slow going but finally everyone made it to one of the caves. They all collapsed inside, exhausted and wet from their walk. It had taken almost twice as long as normal and the sun was starting to go down.

"Sorry people", Jack yelled. "No time to rest. We have to get everything set up – quickly now." The first thing to do was collect firewood. He set most of the Dads to doing this task as it was essential for their survival. "Get wood that's as dry as possible. Check underneath branches and trees where the snow won't have reached. We also need lots of little twigs for kindling."

He stayed in the cave with one other adult and helped the kids set out all their supplies. They rigged a few of the tents over the opening of the cave, to give them some protection from the snow and wind. It was going to be tight in there but Jack figured that was actually a good thing – it would be warmer that way.

He checked what they had in supplies and it looked like they had enough food for a few days. Water wouldn't be a problem with all the snow – they'd just have to make sure and boil it. He showed the kids how to lay out all the sleeping bags and then watched as they worked.

It turned out to be a good thing that they were all so busy, it kept them from worrying. In actual fact, he was pretty sure that the adults were much more frightened than the kids. They thought of it as an adventure.

As long as they were rescued in the next two to three days, thought Jack, they should be fine. After that the food supplies would run out and then they'd have an awful lot of hungry people. Oh, they could last for a while, but it wouldn't be pleasant.

He was starting to feel exhausted and knew he should rest. He was pretty sore but was still was surprised at how well he was doing. He kind of figured it had something to do with his irritating Ancient gene. That thought suddenly stopped him cold. Why the hell hadn't he tried to see if there was anything he could do using that? Maybe there was some kind of skill, other than moving remotes or catching people in lies that could help their present situation.

Unfortunately, nothing came to him that he could use. If someone got hurt he could probably help them – use the 'healing power' although he'd have to be pretty careful so no one caught on. He just wished he had some kind of innate radar system – or super telecommunications ability. No, he guessed he'd just have to do things the old fashioned way.

The men started returning carrying bundles of wood. A number of them went back and forth a few times which was physically exhausting. Once he had some wood he started a fire so he could make coffee and hot chocolate for everyone. He made sure the fire was well away from the sleeping bags and near the entrance where there would be some ventilation. The last thing he wanted was to asphyxiate anyone.

By the time everyone was finished he was ready with hot drinks. The men and boys accepted them gratefully. The boys then started clamoring for supper.

"Look", he said once everyone was seated around the fire, "we don't know how long we're going to be here – it could be a couple of days if the storm is bad. We're going to need to be careful with our food supplies so we don't run out. I'm gonna ask a couple of the fathers to help me figure out how to divide it up fairly. That means that we'll all get equal amounts of food but it also means we can't be snacking or snitching food, okay?" He looked around and was glad to see everyone nodding. He immediately felt something 'off' and looked over to where Tyler was sitting with his father. He could already tell the kid was planning on swiping some things when no one was looking. God, what a kid.

He looked directly at Tyler when he spoke. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to set up guards to watch the food so no one tries to take too much. If we catch you stealing any the consequences will be severe, do you all understand?" Everyone nodded and the kids eyes grew big. They suddenly were wondering what those consequences would be.

Bobby Jamison put up his hand and Jack nodded, "Yes Bobby?"

"What will you do to us?" he asked, voice trembling.

Jack had to hold back his smile. He was sure the boys thought he was going to feed them to the bears or something. "Uh, you'll be made to clean the latrine", he said seriously. The look of horror on the boys' faces said it all. Extreme 'yuckiness' was a great deterrent.

"Okay, we're going to make supper now. It's tight in here so no walking around unless you have to. If you need to use the latrine you have to go with an adult. Adults, no going out of the cave alone – it's easy to get lost in a storm. No one goes anywhere without a buddy and without telling someone you're leaving. Is that clear everyone?"

"Do we have to ask for permission to take a crap, O'Neill?' Brian asked. A number of the other fathers told him to 'shut up' so fortunately Jack didn't have to answer.

By the time they'd eaten and settled in for the night the temperature had dropped even further and the wind was howling outside. The visibility was zero due to the heavy snowfall. Jack peeked out and figured they were in for a bad one.

"Listen up", he called, one more time. "It's going to get cold so we're all going to double up. I want everyone to zip your sleeping bag to someone else's. Kids, you can connect you to your Dads. I know we have a couple of more kids than adults so, in those cases you should 'triple up'. " He didn't want to put just the kids together because they wouldn't stay as warm that way. "We're going to move the sleeping bags as close together as possible. It's gonna get 'cozy' in here, so no farting!" Everyone, especially the boys, laughed at that. They all needed some humor as everyone was cold and scared.

It took a while but eventually everyone was settled. It was chilly but bearable, as long as the temperature didn't drop too much farther. Jack knew that that was one good thing about the snow. It meant it wasn't as cold as it could be. If the snow stopped the temperature could really drop and they'd be in danger.

As he closed his eyes he thought about Sam, wondering what she was doing. If he knew anything about his wife – and his 'Colonel', he was pretty sure she was gathering the troops. On that comforting thought he went to sleep, his arms holding his son closely to him.

"Any news Sam?" Daniel's voice on the other end of the phone sounded worried.

"No Daniel, we can't get through to anyone's cell. The police think that the storm is interfering with the signals. They're iffy anyway being in the mountains."

"How's the weather?"

"We're getting a bad spring blizzard. The bus went out earlier in the day – we figured they might head back – but they didn't show up. The local search and rescue team then headed to their campground but they weren't there."

"What? Why not?"

"We don't know. They must have gone somewhere else", she said, concern and confusion in her voice. "I don't' understand it either. Jack wouldn't agree to something like that, not without leaving a message."

"No, I know. Sam, you don't think it could be – you know – some of the folks who took Jack last year?"

"God, I hope not Daniel. Our little buddy assured us that that was no longer a problem."

"There could have been some friends down _here_ who were involved with the Senator." Daniel said quietly.

"I didn't think of that. But why? Anyone here would have no need of Jack's 'stuff' – it's only for our buddy's people and they got all that they need." It was difficult to continue talking like this but they were on an unsecured line.

"Sam, Teal'c and I are coming over as quickly as we can. We're here waiting for a transport and we think we can make it to Vancouver. From there we'll try for a flight as soon as the weather clears a bit. Let me know if you hear anything."

"I will Daniel, thanks." She felt better knowing they were on the way. She sat on her couch, wondering where in hell her husband and the others could be. She prayed they hadn't been taken by aliens or by any home grown villains but, at the same time, she hated the thought of them stuck in the storm. All they had were tents and those wouldn't keep them warm enough.

She sighed, grateful at least that it was Jack out there with Chris. If anyone could get them out of trouble it was him. Mind you, she snorted, if there was anyone who could get them _in_ to trouble it was O'Neill. He was a master at it.

"Oh Jack", she cried softly. "Where are you?" She knew she couldn't sit here worrying anymore so she got her coat on and headed out the door. It was probably supremely stupid, considering that it was a blizzard, but she would go crazy at home. As she pulled out of her driveway she shook her head. It didn't seem to matter where they were, or even that she and Jack were retired, they still had a knack for getting themselves in trouble. On the other hand, and here she smiled, they were still a team who rode to the rescue when one of their own was in trouble.

"Jack, we're coming babe. Just hold on."


	5. Dreams and Revelations

**_Just when I finally get around to replying to my reviewers I find out the site isn't working! So, my apologies but also big hugs and thanks to all of you. I'll try and see if I can get back to each of you with a PM. In reality, it's a choice right now between getting back to all you wonderful readers - or finishing another chapter. I hope you're okay with my decision to write!_**

**_In response to some of my readers I'll be doing a sequel to another one of my stories as soon as this is finished. (To Love is to Live Forever). Thanks for the requests guys! If any of you have other ideas/requests let me know! It helps my muse._**

**_Here's the next chapter - hope you enjoy._**

"Daddy, you're squishing me!" It took a second before Jack realized where he was. For a bit he'd thought it was Sam curled up beside him but the voice of his son reminded him what had happened. With a groan he rolled over, feeling as if someone had taken a baseball bat to him.

After a few deeps breaths he began to feel better and opened his eyes – and looked directly into Chris' face, which was hanging over his.

"Are you okay Daddy?" the little boy asked worriedly. God, now even his son did it, he complained to himself. What was it about all his 'family' – they constantly wanted to know how he was doing. The fact that he was constantly _hurt_ didn't even enter his mind as the reason for their inquiries.

"I'm fine Chris. How are you?"

"I'm chilly and I gotta pee."

Jack was also in need of some relief so, with another groan he forced himself to sit up. It was dark and gloomy in the cave, and cold, but not dangerously so. A few of the fathers had kept the fire burning throughout the night so it was bearable – just.

"Okay, let's go." He said softly. It looked like some of the others were stirring, but a few were still asleep.

He led Chris to the 'door' of the cave and pushed it aside. He was met with a howling wall of white. If anything, the blizzard was worse. The snow had already piled up 3 or 4 feet in front of the cave.

Jack knew it was going to be almost impossible to make it to their 'latrine' but he managed to clear a short path over to one side. "All right Chris – we're gonna pee over the side here. Just make sure and aim away from the cave."

"Cool!" Jack had to laugh at the fact that when you were 8, peeing in the snow, off a side of a cliff, was a lot of fun. Personally, he decided as he quickly zipped himself back in before he froze his willy off, he could have done without it. It was COLD!

They returned quickly to the cave and got back in their sleeping bag, intent on getting warm. Within a few minutes the rest of the cave had woken up. Jack explained about the latrine. "And be careful", he reminded them. "Don't go falling off a cliff. Boys, you have to go with your Dads."

Matt came over a few minutes later to see how Jack was doing. "I wanna take a look at those wounds", he said quietly. "How are they feeling this morning?"

"Not too bad", Jack replied with a frown. "I don't think you really need to take a look. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, somehow I thought you'd say that!" Matt looked at a worried Chris and grinned. "I bet your Dad always tries to get out of going to the doctor, doesn't he?" Chris grinned back and nodded.

"Mommy says he's – in – incrudgeable."

"Incrudgeable eh? Yeah, I believe that. Well, he can't get away with that here. If he doesn't cooperate I'll just have all the boys sit on him!" Unfortunately, some of the kids heard that and there was a great clamoring of kids who were wanting to pile on top of Jack. Matt stopped them just in time.

"Sorry", he said softly to Jack.

"No you're not!" Jack answered, looking disgusted. "I used to know someone just like you. She was a power-monger too and thought she knew better than me how I was."

"Oh, so what did you do with her?"

There was silence for a moment and Matt looked up. Realizing he'd said something wrong he went to apologize but Jack held out his hand.

"No, it's okay. She was killed in the line of duty. She was a good friend. It's just that I miss her." Jack gave a half-grin. "Although you do a good imitation of her."

"Yeah, well, I'm certainly not going to let keep me from checking you out O'Neill. Now strip off your shirt and let me take a look."

"It's cold", Jack whined.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you've dealt with much worse. Didn't I hear someone say you've been to Antarctica?"

"Mmmm hmmm – and it was about this much fun too!" He knew he'd lost this round so he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. The boys were fascinated but Jason and David distracted them.

"Come on guys, give Mr. O'Neill some privacy. He doesn't want a bunch of snot-nosed kids staring at him." Of course, this got the kids to immediately defend themselves, denying that they had any 'snot hangin from our noses'.

Matt slowly unwound the bandages and took a look at the wicked looking gouges. He was surprised that they didn't look worse than they did, although they were still pretty sore looking. As far as he could tell there was no infection, which actually kind of surprised him, knowing how bad wounds like this could be.

"So, how'm I doin'?" O'Neill asked. He still felt pretty lousy but he'd definitely been worse.

"Not bad", Matt answered. "Doesn't look like there's any infection."

"Don't sound so disappointed."

"Sorry! I'm not disappointed, just a little surprised. I mean, you got sliced up pretty badly but it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would."

"Yeah, well, I'm a fast healer."

"You certainly are!" Matt applied new bandages and helped Jack on with his shirt. "Now, lie down and rest."

"No", Jack struggled against Matt's hand. "I need to help. I've got to - "

" – do nothing! We're all capable of doing what needs to be done. You can instruct us if we're not sure but you are going to stay down. The wounds may not be as bad as they could be – doesn't mean they're not bad!"

"My Daddy's going to be okay isn't he?" Chris had turned a bit pale as he'd watched the Doctor look at the injuries. Jack cursed himself. He should have insisted Chris went with some of the other boys.

"He's gonna be fine Chris. We just have to make sure he rests. Can you help with that?"

The young boy looked a little unsure. "Mommy's usually the one that makes Daddy obey her." He said uncertainly. "He'll listen to her because she gets mad at him if he does a '_Jack O'Neill_!" Chris used his deep, 'grown up' voice to try and imitate Sam.

Matt laughed. "Out of the mouths of babes, eh O'Neill? So", he turned to Chris, "what does your Mommy say to make him mind?" Jack glared at him, knowing he was outnumbered.

"She says, 'General, don't play dumb. We all know you're smarter than you pretend!' – I don't know why she says that cause my Daddy is _really_ smart."

"Chris", Jack said weakly. Matt was laughing in delight. "You've been found out Jack. Can't hide anything when you've got kids!"

Jack had to laugh as well, knowing it was true. Between Sam and Chris he could no longer play the idiot – although he still liked to try.

So, for the rest of the morning, as the wind howled and the snow blew wildly through the mountains, Jack snoozed and played various games with Chris and the other boys – at least all of them except Tyler, who stayed quietly by his father. The two of them sat apart from the others, not saying anything.

Jack started to notice and would occasionally glance over at the two. He could tell Tyler was feeling bad from the way he was sitting. He was a brat but Jack wondered if that was a self-defense mechanism or if he was just a mean kid. He'd seen both kinds but, when it came to kids, he was all for giving them a second, third – heck even a forth chance.

"Hey Tyler", he called the little boy after watching him for over an hour. "Why don't you come over and play Liar with us?" Jack had pulled out his pack of cards and one of the kids had brought his. They put the packs together to enable everyone to play.

Tyler just shrugged but Jack could tell, by the look in his eyes, that he really wanted to play with the other kids. He bent over to Chris and whispered something to him quietly.

"Tyler, come on", Chris immediately shouted. "You can sit here, there's room." He squeezed over closer to his Dad, leaving just enough room for the other boy. Tyler still didn't come when suddenly Cameron added his voice. "Come on Tyler, it's fun."

Pretty soon all the boys were shouting for him to come over.

Jack looked around in pride at the little boys. They could so easily have rejected Tyler, who was often mean to them, but instead, they'd invited him in to their game. He put his hand on Chris' shoulder and gave it a squeeze. His son had been the first to welcome the boy and he could feel his heart swell with pride.

O'Neill could see Brian look up in surprise and then he said something to his son and nodded his head towards the boys. With a red face, and eyes looking down, Tyler stood up and slowly walked over. He sat down beside Chris, not saying anything. As the cards were dealt he quietly picked up his hand and began to play.

For the first few rounds he didn't say anything but soon he was 'lying' and calling 'liar' with the rest of the boys. By the end of the game he was laughing and rolling around and generally being a typical 8 year old. At one point Jack looked up to see Brian looking at him. The man just stared for a second and then gave a brief nod of his head. Jack nodded back in acknowledgement.

It was after lunch, when everyone was resting, that Matt came up and sat beside the General. Jack was feeling a bit worse than he had been that morning so just continued to lie there when the other man flopped down.

"So, that was a nice thing you did." Matt said quietly.

"Nah. He's just a kid. He probably just needs some love and discipline and he'd be fine."

"Did you know his mother left a few months ago?"

Jack turned his head swiftly and looked at Matt. "No, I hadn't heard. What happened?"

"No one knows. She just upped and packed her bags and left. Brian could sometimes be a bit of an ass but usually was a pretty decent guy. I think his wife's leaving did something to him. Tyler wasn't a bad kid either before she left. I think a lot of their behavior is because of that."

"Poor kid."

"Yeah." Matt stopped for a second. "I could never understand it. Jeanine, his wife – she was a good Mom. She was always involved at the school and seemed to take real good care of both of them. She was the last person I would have thought would have left. It's sad."

Jack sat pondering what Matt had said and it made him look at Brian in a totally different light. He remembered the jerk he'd been after he'd lost Charlie – God, he still couldn't believe that Daniel had actually befriended him. He'd treated the man like crap.

"The Cub leader is Jeanine's brother." Matt said.

"Oh so - ?"

"Yeah, I think he put him in charge because he was feeling bad for him – or guilty over what Jeanine had done. I can't think of any other reason – he's certainly lousy at camping!" Matt glanced over at Jack as he finished speaking and suddenly frowned.

"You're not looking so good Jack", he said, reaching out and feeling the retired General's forehead. "And you're not doing so well either. When were you going to tell me your fever was worse?"

"Uh, never?"

"That's what I thought! Come on, I'm gonna look at the wounds again."

"Why? There's nothing you can do anyway?"

Matt sighed, knowing it was true. "Humor me. I'm a doctor, remember. I'm incurably nosey."

Jack rolled his eyes but struggled to sit up. He removed his shirt again and sat as the Doc poked and prodded. "Ow!" he said as the doctor pressed on his side. "Take it easy."

"Hmmm", the Doc murmured.

"Why do doctors always _do _that?" asked Jack irritably.

"Do what?"

"Say 'Mmmm" in that tone of voice? It's a sure way of making a patient thing they're gonna die some horrible death."

Chuckling, Matt sat back and let Jack put his shirt back on. "No, I'm pretty sure you're not going to die but we do need to get you to a hospital. An infection has set in and it's only going to get worse if we don't get you some antibiotics."

"Yeah, well I don't think we're going anywhere for a while!" Jack immediately lay back down, feeling dizzy and nauseated.

He dozed on and off for the rest of the afternoon, slowly feeling worse and worse. Matt kept checking on him and started to look worried. It could get bad if they didn't make it back soon.

"How's he doing?" David asked quietly as the men sat around the fire.

"He's got an infection. I'm not surprised, it was sure to happen. We need to get him to a hospital."

"Any idea when we can get out of here?" Jason asked.

"No. O'Neill is the one who's most likely to know. I'm afraid we'll just have to wait until the storm is over – and it doesn't look like it's slowing down yet."

"Even when it does, have you seen the amount that's piled up outside? There's no way they're gonna be able to find us. They won't even know where we are."

"We shoulda brought a GPS tracker. Most people who go camping now use them." Roger added.

"I guess we thought we wouldn't need one", James, another Dad, added. "We all thought we knew where we were going!" he looked in disgust at Brian who still sat by himself at the back of the cave.

"Hey, it doesn't matter", Jason threw in. "We don't have one so there's no worrying about it. We're safe in here and we'll just have to wait until the storm clears. I'm sure they'll come looking for us." He didn't say what many of them were thinking – that Jack might not survive long enough to be rescued.

The rest of the day Chris wouldn't leave his father's side. Matt tried to get him to sit with Cameron for a while, but the little boy just shook his head and sat holding Jack's hand.

O'Neill was pretty groggy and kept losing track of where he was and what was going on. Part of him knew that he was hurt and was starting to get delirious but part didn't know and didn't care. By the time night had fallen he felt hot and miserable and really, really wanted Carter.

"Carter", he called to her in his mind. "Where are you? Carter?" He kept repeating it over and over. He just knew, if he could reach her, everything would be all right.

"Daniel, Teal'c, thank God you're here!" Sam threw her arms around her friends as they walked into Molly's house, stomping their feet to get rid of the snow. She had to laugh – both of them were cocooned in parkas and were covered in fine white snow.

"How in the world did you make it?" she asked. She knew that the airports were closed and nothing could fly in this weather.

"We came on the snow plough", Daniel said, shivering. "It was the only thing that was making it through."

"And they _let_ you? I didn't think they let anyone but the drivers on those things."

"They don't", Daniel said, taking off his coat. "But trying saying no to Teal'c. The driver didn't stand a chance."

She laughed again and told them to go sit down. "I'll make some coffee." As she walked to the kitchen she asked. "Are you guys hungry?"

"Yes Colonel Carter-O'Neill", Teal'c replied gravely. "If Mrs. Molly has some perogies that would be most welcome."

Molly was resting in bed. Although Sam assured her that Jack would take good care of the boys, she was still worried and at her age that took a lot out of her. Still, Sam was pretty sure Molly would have something in the fridge or freezer to feed Teal'c.

"No perogies I'm afraid", she said, carrying in two cups of coffee, "but there are some left over cabbage roles. I'm heating them up for you."

Once both men had been served and were heartily eating they began to discuss the situation.

"So, still no word?"

"No, nothing. No one's surprised though, not with this storm."

"Any idea as to when it's supposed to end?"

"By early morning they said. Unfortunately there's so much snow it's going to be impossible to get a vehicle up the mountain roads. And we still don't know where they are."

"I don't get that. How could 18 people just disappear like that?"

"The rangers think that maybe they went to another campsite. There are a bunch in that area – mostly small camps for overnight hikers. The problem is that they're spread out in all directions so they could be anywhere."

"But surely Jack would have left some kind of sign? He's an expert in survival training."

"I know, but even if he did, it would be completely covered. They've received over 40 inches of snow in the mountains. With the winds and drifting it'll be hard to see anything."

"You must not worry Colonel Carter-O'Neill" Teal'c said. "As Daniel has said, O'Neill is an expert. I am sure they are safe somewhere out of the snow. They will wait for the storm to be over and then we will find them."

Somehow Teal'c's word gave her the hope she needed. She knew, logically, that Jack could take care of himself – and the rest of his group – but she still couldn't help but worry. She'd almost lost him last year and there was no way she was going to lose him now!

She kept in contact with the rangers and the RCMP but no one had heard anything. They were all just forced to wait until the storm let up. She knew that some of the other wives and mothers had made their way to the school but decided she was better off at home, especially now that Daniel and Teal'c were here.

Logically, she knew that they couldn't do anything more than the rescue teams but, as soon as she'd seen them standing there, she'd felt better. They were her team, her family, and they'd make sure to bring Jack and Chris back safe and sound. There just wasn't any other choice.

After supper they'd stayed up talking for a while but they were all tired and had decided to head to bed. There was really nothing else they could do. The police had told her they'd call as soon as they heard anything.

She got the guys settled and then changed and climbed into bed. She couldn't believe how cold and lonely she felt in the big bed, all by herself. She snorted when she thought of the fact that she and Jack had only been together for a few months and now she found she couldn't rest properly on her own.

"Jack O'Neill", she said softly. "You've just wormed your way into my heart and now I'm no longer whole without you!" It took her a long time to finally fall asleep, but she was exhausted – so very tired. As she faded she reached out, with her mind, to her husband and son. She sent a prayer their way – that they were okay and that they'd come back to her – soon.

"Sam." Why was Jack trying to wake her up? Didn't he know she needed to sleep? She was tired. "Sam", his voice came again, insistent.

"What Jack?" she answered groggily. "What do you want? It's too early."

"I need you Sam." the voice answered. "Please, you have to help us."

"Help? What's wrong?" she asked. Why would Jack need her help?

"We're in a cave Sam – over by Jake's Falls. There are caves around there and we've taken refuge in one. Everyone is safe but I need you to let them know where we are."

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"So they can come and get us. Sam!" the voice was getting slightly peeved.

"What?" she answered, just as irritated.

"Are you listening? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, you're in a cave by Jake's Falls and I'm supposed to tell someone to come and get you. Who are you with? Daniel?"

"No Sam. Don't you remember? I came out with Chris and the Cubs. We were hiking and a blizzard hit. We're okay but we need you to let them know where we are. Can you do that?"

"Hmmm?" she replied sleepily. "Why don't you tell them General? Or have Daniel do it. I'm so tired."

"COLONEL! Move that sweet little ass of yours and pay attention!" The voice shouted. She sat up straight in bed.

"Yes Sir!" she looked around wildly. What? What was going on?

"Jack?" she said, looking around the room. Had she been dreaming? What had he said to her?

She stumbled out of bed and grabbed her robe. Looking at the clock by her bed she saw that it was 4:30 in the morning. After tying the belt she opened the door and walked down the hall to Chris' room where Daniel was sleeping.

"Daniel", she called softly. There was a rustle and then she could see the light go on under the door.

"Yeah?" a bleary voice answered.

"Can you come out to the living room? I need to talk to you."

"Uh – yeah, sure, I'll be right out."

She next went to the guest room where Teal'c was and asked him to come as well. She then went to the kitchen and made up three mugs of hot chocolate.

As she walked into the living room, carrying the mugs, she laughed to see the two very sleepy looking men. She couldn't ever remember seeing Teal'c looking like that – it was only in the last couple of years that he had had to sleep at all.

"What is it Sam?", Daniel asked, accepting the hot chocolate.

"Uh, I had a dream." She stopped, wondering if she was losing her mind.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at her strangely.

"I – I don't think it was really a dream."

"Okay – and?"

"I think it was Jack."

"You believe it was O'Neill?" Teal'c sounded almost as confused as Daniel looked.

"Yes", she suddenly felt more confident. "I think Jack sent me a message. He told me where they are."

"He did? And where would that be?" Daniel sounded skeptical.

"He said they're in a cave by Jake's Falls."

"And where is that, Colonel Carter-O'Neill?"

"Teal'c, for God's sake – we're in our pajamas and it's the middle of the night – can't you please call me Sam!"

Teal'c raised his eyebrows in surprise but eventually nodded. "Sam, where is Jake's Falls?"

"I don't have the slightest clue. I haven't heard of it before."

"So, how do you know it was Jack?" Daniel wanted to know.

"It sounded like him."

"It _sounded_ like him? In your dream?"

"Yes, and he shouted at me."

"That doesn't sound like Jack. He wouldn't shout at you."

"Oh yes he would, if I wasn't paying attention."

"What did he shout at you?"

"Well, he told me to move my", she paused and looked at Daniel and Teal'c. "he told me to pay attention."

Daniel grinned. "Yeah right! That's not what he said."

"No, and you don't need to know any more than that! I know it was him."

"But how could he possibly - " Daniel stopped and looked at both of his friends. "Of course", he said calmly, "the Ancient gene."

"Yeah, that's what I think too."

"That is good then Col – Sam." Teal'c added. "We now know where O'Neill and the others are located."

"Yes, but how do we convince the rescue teams? They'll thing we're crazy." They sat and thought for a moment.

"You said that they weren't where they were supposed to be, is that right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well then, why don't you suddenly remember that Jack told you, before they left, that they might take a hike to this 'Jakes Falls'? That would sound logical."

"It would make me sound stupid!" she retorted. "Why would I only remember it now?"

"Better to be thought stupid than crazy", he answered calmly.

"I don't know. I think crazy is better."

"Come on Sam – this is about rescuing Jack and the kids. Don't worry about that now."

"Easy for you to say Daniel!" she snorted, but knew he was correct. What was a little humiliation when it came to saving Jack and the others?

She picked up the phone and dialed the emergency number she'd been given. She had to wait some time before she got through to the right person.

"Officer Andrews? Hello, it's Sam O'Neill. Yes, I'm fine thank you. You'll think I'm stupid, Officer but I just thought of something. A couple of days before they left on the trip my husband mentioned something about going to a place called Jake's Falls. - Yes, that's right. He also said something about some caves. I thought maybe that might be useful. He would know to take them somewhere out of the blizzard." There was a long pause while Sam listened to the man on the other end of the line. She finally said a short 'thank you' and hung up.

"Well?" Daniel asked.

"The storm is starting to pass. They think they'll be able to send a chopper out soon and they're going to look by Jake's Falls first." She sat down suddenly, feeling exhausted and sick.

"Are you okay Sam?" Teal'c asked. She started to laugh, realizing how unlike Teal'c he sounded calling her that. He looked puzzled at her reaction and she couldn't help but get up and give him a hug. He was still puzzled but looked grateful. She then gave Daniel a hug as well.

"I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate you being here. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Hey, we haven't really done anything but you know we'll always be here for you. We couldn't let Jack get into trouble and not ride to the rescue. Besides, I'll be able to hold this over him for quite a while!"

With a laugh Sam sat back down. "We can head over to the school in a little while. Everyone is waiting there. We might even be able to accompany the rescue chopper."

"Really?"

"Well, we have lots of experience. We'll just tell them that we know Jack and all his tricks!"

An hour later they made their way, slowly, to the school. Fortunately Jack had purchased a four-wheel drive vehicle just a few months ago. "We'll _need_ it Carter", he exclaimed. "We're living in the Rockies and the snow can get bad!"

She'd laughed at him, knowing his love of big honkin' vehicles. Now, however, she was glad she'd let him have his way. They wouldn't have made it on the unplowed streets without it.

When they arrived at the school there were a number of women who had clearly been there for quite a while. Everyone looked tired and a number of them had been crying.

"Mrs. O'Neill", Officer Andrews walked up and shook her hand. "Thanks for the call. It's good to have something to go on."

"I'm just sorry it took me so long to remember", she said carefully.

"No problem. We couldn't have gone out before now anyway. At least this gives us a place to start. Woodward thinks that would have been a logical place for them to go to get out of the storm. None of us had thought about it as it's quite a ways from their original destination." Woodward was the leader of the rescue team and a trained mountaineer. He'd worked in the mountains for over 30 years.

"We'd like to go with the helicopter if we could Officer?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, wives will have to wait here. I know you are worried but we have trained professionals out there and they're the best ones to find them."

"I am a trained professional", she said quickly. "I have advanced search and rescue training and I'm a certified field medic."

When he looked skeptical she pulled out her old ID. "I'm a retired Colonel in the US Air Force. I spent over 10 years as a field operative all over the world" (she couldn't very well say 'universe'). I also know my husband and what he'd do in this situation. We served together and I know what to look for."

"You husband was in the Air Force as well?" he asked, surprised. He'd heard of O'Neill but no one had said anything about his background. It was assumed he'd been a businessman or something similar.

"Yes, he's a retired three-star General. He's got advanced search and rescue training and was a black ops operative for many years. He's probably the best field operative in the US military." She knew it sounded a bit over the top but it was actually true. Jack was known for his incredible skills in the field and in survival and wilderness training.

"Really? Wow, if we'd known that we would have been much less worried. Actually – I am much less worried now", the officer said. "I feel like there's a better chance for everyone."

"Don't worry officer. I believe they're fine. I assure you – my husband will do everything he can to make sure they're all okay. That's the kind of man he is."

Thanking her, Officer Andrews headed over to the control center and repeated what she'd told him. She could see Bill Woodward looking towards her. After a few minutes he walked over and began to speak.

"Andrews just told me about you and your husband. Is it true?"

"Yes, absolutely. Oh, and these men here" she indicated Daniel and Teal'c, "were part of our team. They are also experts in survival and field ops. We'd like to do what we can to help."

She could tell that Woodward was slightly suspicious. She knew she didn't exactly look the type – she wished she had her BDU's with her – but she simply looked at him with her 'Colonel Kick-Ass Carter' look – the look Jack said she got when he was in trouble.

"All right. I can take two people, not three. I suggest you stay here ma'am and I take the men. It's a cold one out there and this may be hard."

Daniel bit his lip and Teal'c looked worried. He glanced at the other man to warn him that his life might be in danger.

Daniel, ever the diplomat, tried to intervene. "Uh, I think Sam – Colonel O'Neill" (boy, was _that_ weird, he thought) "is probably the most qualified to go. She's highly trained." Sam looked at him gratefully, although with a look, which also said, she could fight her own battles. He shrugged and grinned – he was actually thinking more of saving Woodward than of helping Sam.

Just as she was about to rip the chauvinist – rescue team leader – a new one, a wave of dizziness hit her. The next thing she knew she was lying flat on her back with Teal'c leaning over her.

"Do not worry Sam, Daniel has gone to get you a glass of water. You have fainted."

Fainted? She'd never fainted in her whole life. What the hell was wrong? She looked back up at Teal'c and frowned. Something was off.

"Teal'c?"

"Yes Sam?"

"Do me a favor? Please call me Colonel Carter-O'Neill. Sam just sounds – wrong – coming from you."

He actually grinned and nodded. "Indeed Colonel Carter-O'Neill. I concur." At that moment Daniel returned and knelt down. She sat up, with Teal'c's help, and took a sip. Looking around, she noticed that Woodward was gone. Damn! Now he really thought she was some girly-girl!

"Sam, Teal'c and I will go. Jack'll be fine. You should just stay and rest."

"Dan -" Daniel reached over and gently covered her mouth.

"Sam, both of us know you are more than capable of doing this – in fact, you're probably the most capable here except for Teal'c. We also know that you're exhausted and possibly sick. I value my life too much – as does Teal'c – to let you go out like this. Jack would rip our balls off and eat em for dinner if we let you go."

"Daniel is correct. You must stay and rest and we will return with O'Neill and the others. Do not worry C – Samantha, he will be fine."

Sam sighed, knowing that they were right. She needed to stay – she'd be no good out in the field, as much as she wanted to be there. If what she suspected was true, she needed to look after herself.

A short while later, as the sun came up, she watched as a bundled up Daniel and Teal'c followed Woodward out to the chopper. A medic was going along and they'd taken medical supplies as well as extra food and water. She prayed they would hear soon.

She was sitting quietly in the gymnasium, sipping a cup of tea, when a haggard woman came and sat beside her. She didn't recognize the woman but smiled and said a soft 'hello'. The woman sat quietly for a moment and then looked up, her eyes awash in tears.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked.

"They're out looking right now. They think they may have an ideas where they are."

"Really?" the woman asked hopefully. "I've been so scared."

"I know, me too, but my husband is with them and he's had expert survival training. He'll look after them, don't worry."

"Thank you, but I can't help but worry. I keep wondering what I'll do if I lose them."

"I know", said Sam softly. She too had those thoughts constantly circling around in her mind.

"Whose Mom are you?" she finally asked. She was pretty sure this woman hadn't been at any of the orientation meetings.

"I'm Jeanine Hohler. Tyler is my son."

"Oh", Sam didn't know what to say. She didn't like Tyler. "So Brian is your husband?"

"Yes – no – yes." She stumbled over her words. Sam raised an eyebrow, wondering how someone could get confused over that question.

"We're separated", she finally blurted out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No – I – I left him. It's over 6 months ago. I haven't seen Brian or Tyler since then."

Sam felt really uncomfortable, now knowing how to answer the woman. She had no idea what had happened and didn't want to pry. The other woman seemed to want to talk, however, so she simply sat and listened.

"I love my son!" she said, as if Sam had doubted her. "I miss him so much – everyday I think about him and how he's grown. I love him so much!" she stopped and wiped her eyes. "That's why I left." She said softly.

Sam looked puzzled, "I don't understand", she said.

"I thought it would be better for him and for Brian if I just went away", she answered. She didn't say anything for a while and then looked back up at Sam. "I was – seeing things – experiencing things – I thought I was going crazy", she explained softly. "I was worried that I'd do something – awful, that I'd hurt them, so I ran away."

"I'm sorry", Sam reached out and gently touched the other woman's leg. She didn't know what else to do.

"Thank you. I went to visit my sister in Vancouver. She finally convinced me to go see a doctor and it turned out I had a brain tumor."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

"Yes, it was scary. I was sure then that I was dying. It turned out to be benign and they were able to remove it without too much trouble and I'm okay now – except I've lost my husband and son!" She started to cry softly and after a moment Sam reached over and put her arms around the woman.

Jeanine cried for the next few minutes and then sat back and sniffed. Sam rummaged around in her purse until she found a Kleenex and gave it to her. After drying her face and blowing her nose the other woman gave her a wan smile.

"Thank you", she said, "I don't usually cry all over strangers like that."

"Well, I don't think we're really strangers", Sam answered. "Both our husbands and sons are out there so we have something in common. I'm glad I was here to lend a shoulder."

"I just wish I knew what to do?" the other woman asked.

"I know it's none of my business", Sam started cautiously, "but I think you should tell them the truth. I just went through something last year that almost destroyed my relationship with my husband – at least, he wasn't my husband yet – but with the man I loved. If I'd just decided to give up I wouldn't be with him now – and he's the best thing that ever happened to me!"

"Was it hard?" Jeanine asked. "I mean – did you want to give up."

"Yes. I did something terrible – worse than you've done I think – and it almost destroyed Jack. He retired and ran away without telling anyone where he was going. Fortunately I realized what I'd done and followed him. It took a while but I found him."

"And he forgave you?"

"Yes, eventually. It wasn't easy, and we had to go through some tough times, but now – we're tighter than ever. Because of what we went through we realized how important we are to each other. We discovered how much we loved and needed one another." She reached out again to the other woman. "It wasn't easy – in fact, it was painful – but it was worth it. Not only did I get a wonderful husband, I gained a son as well."

Jeanine looked at her gratefully and then took a deep breath. As she sat up straight Sam could see the determined look come into her eyes. "Thank you. You're right – I have to fight for my marriage and my son." Reaching over, this time it was she who hugged Sam. "We're gonna get them back!"

"Yes, yes we are."


	6. The Rescue

"No, there's no way!" Jason spoke sharply. "We're going to wait here until either they come and get us or the snow melts enough so we can get out safely."

"But O'Neill needs to get to the hospital. He's not doing too well." Paul said vehemently.

"I know, but we'll just put the rest of us in danger if we try to leave. Have you _seen_ the snow out there? We'll kill ourselves."

"What if just two of us go?" David spoke up. "We can go get help, let them know where we are."

"No", a hoarse voice interrupted the whispered conversation. The men turned towards Jack in surprise.

"Jack, you're awake." Matt walked over and knelt beside the sick man. He reached out and put his hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay", Jack answered in a distracted voice. He felt like crap, actually but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He'd been moving in and out of consciousness all night but now he was awake. "Nobody", he stopped and licked his lips, "nobody's going anywhere. They'll be here – soon." He laid back and closed his eyes. Matt looked down at him in concern and then turned to the others and shook his head. He knew they didn't have long.

"I'm afraid he's right", Roger spoke softly. "None of us have enough training to make it. We'd probably get lost or fall off a cliff. I don't want to see O'Neill" – he shrugged – "I wish we could do something but I think we have to just stay and wait for them to find us."

"Yeah – it'll be okay", Jack struggled to speak. "They're on their way – won't be long now." He spoke so confidently that many of the others – the kids especially – believed him. Even the adults breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been another cold night but by early morning the snow had stopped. Everyone was much quieter than they had been the day before. The fact that O'Neill was so sick put a damper on everyone.

There was a little movement and some murmuring as David and Paul handed out breakfast.

"Where's Brian?" Jason suddenly asked. Everyone looked around the cave but the man was nowhere to be seen. "Did anyone see him go outside?"

Matt frowned, seeing Tyler sitting by himself on his sleeping bag. The little boy was curled up, his knees bent and his arms rapped around them. Matt stood up and walked over. Kneeling down, he spoke to the little boy.

"Tyler?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's your Daddy?"

Tyler sniffed and shook his head. Matt reached out and touched the boy.

"Tyler, you have to tell us. We're not going to be mad, okay? We're just worried. Do you know where your Dad went?"

"He went to get help."

Matt wanted to swear but knew he couldn't with the frightened boy in front of him. "Come here", he said. Tyler sobbed and threw himself at Matt.

"He told me not to tell. He said he got us all in this 'mess' and that he was going to get us out. I'm scared Dr. Jeffers. What if he gets killed or something? What if that bear gets him?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine Tyler. I don't think bears will come out in this weather." Matt didn't have a clue what bears would do but didn't want to worry the boy. "Dave", he called. "Can you sit with Tyler for a minute? Tyler, I'm just going to go talk to the other Dads, okay? Don't worry, everything will be fine."

He walked over to the others who were all looking at him inquiringly. "Brian took off to get help", he said straight out.

"Damn! What was he thinking?" Jason shook his head. "He's going to get himself killed."

"Shhh!" Matt gestured to Tyler. "We have to make sure his son doesn't hear. Look, I think he felt bad about everything and this is his way of trying to make up for everything. I think we're just going to have to hope he makes it."

The mood in the cave became even more somber as everyone contemplated what might happen to Brian. After a while Matt realized that they were not accomplishing anything by their attitude and they were frightening Tyler and Chris.

"Come on everyone", he stood up and looked around. "Let's play some games and keep ourselves occupied." Although no one appeared eager, they all settled in to play a variety of games to help pass the time.

"Matt." O'Neill's voice called faintly.

"What is it Jack?" the doctor slid over to the General. "Do you need something?"

"Brian?"

"What about him?" Matt asked carefully. He didn't want to worry the ill man.

"He's gone."

"Uh – what?"

"He's – gone. He went – in trouble."

"Jack, how do you know that?" Matt looked at him strangely.

"Just – know. In trouble – needs help."

"He went to _get_ help Jack. I'm sure he's fine." There seemed no reason to hide the fact anymore – O'Neill would just demand to see Brian.

"No – he's – in trouble. Fell – broke his leg."

"Jack, you're sick and you're dreaming. He went to get help but I'm sure he's okay." He tried to reassure the older man. "You need to rest and not worry about him."

But Jack couldn't stop worrying. He knew he was very sick and that he was not always fully aware, but he also knew that Brian was in trouble. He couldn't very well explain _how_ he knew, but if he didn't do something the man would freeze to death. With a deep breath he began to pull himself up to a sitting position.

"No", Matt put his hand on his chest. "What are you doing Jack? You have to take it easy."

"No – Brian's – hurt. I have to – help." He desperately tried to sit but Matt was too strong. Closing his eyes he concentrated as hard as he could. Suddenly, without warning, Matt flew back and landed half way across the cave.

"What the hell!" Jason and Paul stood up, not believing what they'd just witnessed.

Jack continued to struggle and finally got to his feet, although he was swaying dangerously.

"Got – to help – Brian", he muttered. He felt a small hand clutch his and glanced down into the face of his very worried son.

"Daddy, you're sick. You've got to lie down – please!"

"I'm sorry – Chris. Got to help – Brian first." He reached out a trembling hand and put it on Chris' shoulder. Matt had gotten back to his feet by this time and was looking in shock at the other man.

"What did you do?" he asked softly. "_How_ did you do that?" The others were looking at him in a combination of fear and wonder.

"Don't know", he answered, not even aware of what had happened. "Brian –"

"Jack", Matt asked, cautiously approaching the swaying man. "How do you know Brian is hurt?"

"Just – know", he answered.

Chris spoke up then, in defense of his father. "My Daddy had good intition – that's what Mommy says." Jack gave a slight smile and squeezed his son's shoulder.

"Yeah – Carter always says – I have good 'intuition'".

"So, you're telling me you _think_ something's happened to Brian? That it's your 'intuition' that's telling you this?"

Jack looked at him blankly for a moment and then nodded. Maybe they'd all buy that?

"Okay, that's good enough for me", Matt said, conviction in his voice. "So, we have to go and find Brian and bring him back", he said to the others. Turning back to Jack he asked, "any ideas where he might be?"

Jack smiled gratefully at the Doc. The more he got to know the man, the more he liked him. He nodded and went to answer but before he'd had a chance to speak he collapsed. It was amazing he'd kept to his feet as long as he had.

As Matt and a couple of the other guys got him settled again he thought about Brian. He began to speak as they were tucking the sleeping bag around him.

"He's fallen down – small cliff – about half a kilometer – from here. There's a broken – tree across the – trail. He's just – beyond – that." His head flopped down and he faded out. He just prayed he'd given them enough information.

Shaking his head, not sure if this was a wild goose chase, Matt spoke to the others. "I think we need to check this out. I think four of us should go and see if we can find him. The others can stay here and look after the kids."

"You'd better stay here Matt and watch out for O'Neill."

"Okay, but I'll give you the first aid kit just in case."

"Take – sleeping bags", Jack again spoke. "and something – for – a splint."

"Okay, you heard the man – let's get some supplies together." For the next few minutes all that could be heard was the sound of the men getting ready to head out.

It was decided that Jason, David, Paul and Roger would go. Matt and Frank would stay with Jack and the kids.

"Tell em – to be careful – lot's of small – cliffs. Tie ropes – round yourselves."

"Don't worry Jack", Paul answered. "We'll watch where we're going." A few more minutes and they were gone.

The kids sat quietly, afraid of what was happenning. After a few minutes a couple of them seemed to realize that Tyler was crying, frightened about his father. They then started to try and help by distracting him. Soon they were laughing and playing another game of liar. If some of them were still a bit frightened, and a bit teary-eyed, no one was saying anything.

"What's that?" asked Frank. "What's that sound?" Everyone went silent, trying to hear.

"I think – I'm not sure?"

"It's a helicopter!" one of the boys shouted. They all stood up and rushed to the cloth-covered entrance.

"Whoa!" shouted Matt. "You guys sit down and I'll take a look." He walked quickly to the entrance and stuck his head out. The noise grew louder but he didn't see anything. Quickly grabbing his boots he put them on and walked out of the cave.

The small speck of the helicopter, as it approached their position, was one of the best things he'd ever seen. "Get me a piece of cloth or something", he shouted back into the cave. A few seconds later a hand emerged holding a towel. Grabbing it he stood in front of the cave and began to wave it madly.

"Look, down there", Teal'c pointed to a speck that seemed to be moving. "I believe that may be a person." The pilot turned in the direction Teal'c was pointing.

"It is Teal'c! There's someone there. Can you land the helicopter?" Daniel turned anxiously to the pilot.

"I'm trying to see if there's somewhere we can land. The terrain's too steep and rocky here." The chopper flew over the cave and dipped in low to let the person standing there know they'd been seen. It then pulled up to find a landing site.

Woodward got on the radio to let the people waiting back in town know they'd found the lost group of men and boys. He then helped the pilot look for a place to land.

Unfortunately, the closest they could come was about two kilometers away in a small clearing. It was still tricky because of the deep snow but the pilot was an expert and finally managed to set it down.

"We'll have to shoe in", Woodward said calmly to the others. Besides Daniel and Teal'c there were two other search and rescue team members. "The snow shoes are in the back. Grab a pair and the packs and let's go." It took the men a few minutes before they were ready to head out.

After they'd been walking for 10 minutes in total silence, Woodward looked at the two strangers. "So, O'Neill really knows what he's doing?"

"Oh yeah", Daniel answered with a slight laugh. "He's the best."

"He would be pleased to hear you say that Daniel Jackson", Teal'c said seriously.

"Don't you go telling him I said that! I don't want him to get conceited!"

"Well, it looks like he kept them safe", the other man said. "I guess we can be thankful he was with them."

Back in the cave the mood had lifted considerably now that they knew they were being rescued. Matt had breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that O'Neill would soon be out of here. He just hoped it didn't take long for the rescue team to arrive.

Just then they heard a noise outside the cave and in walked the men who had gone after Brian. They were carrying Brian, using the sleeping bag as an impromptu stretcher.

"We found him", Paul shouted, "He's in bad shape." Tyler stood up and ran over to his Dad, crying.

"Put him down over here", Matt said urgently. "Someone help Tyler. I need to take a look at him." One of the Dads gently pulled the crying little boy away while Matt checked over the unconscious man.

"We found him buried in a snow drift." His voice lowered, "He wasn't breathing when we found him but we performed CPR and mouth to mouth and he started up again. We don't know how long he'd stopped. I think his leg is broken as well."

Matt looked extremely worried as he examined the other man. He was ice cold and his lips were blue. His breathing was slow and very shallow. When he lifted Brian's eyelids he immediately noticed his pupils were dilated and unresponsive.

"Damn", he said softly.

"Bad?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, real bad." They both glanced over to where Tyler was sitting, wrapped in Paul's arms.

"Is he going to make it?"

"I don't know. Even if he does, I'm worried about brain damage." He sighed – God, could things get worse.

"Let me." The two men looked up in shock to see a shaking and swaying O'Neill standing over them.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing? Get back to bed."

The other man didn't answer; he simply stumbled and fell to his knees beside Brian's still body. Completely ignoring the others he held his hands out and placed them on Brian's chest.

"What are you doing?" Matt tried to pull Jack back but the older man resisted.

"No – Matt – let me – go." Jack said breathlessly. He continued to hold his hands on Brian. The Doctor looked at him in confusion but finally sat back. He didn't know what was happening, but something in him realized he had to stay out of this.

Jack didn't speak – he simply held his hands still, even though he continued to sway and look as if he could collapse any minute. The men watching didn't know what they were seeing, but they knew it was something unusual.

Without warning, Jack collapsed and fell to the floor unconscious. Matt checked him and immediately started doing chest compressions. "Help me someone!" he shouted. Soon one of the other fathers was giving Jack mouth to mouth.

"Someone check Brian", the Doc yelled. He couldn't stop what he was doing.

"He's okay", Roger called. "In fact, he looks better – he's got some color in his cheeks and his breathing is improved."

"What did you do O'Neill", Matt said to himself as he continued to work on his new friend. "Come on! Don't you dare give up on me now."

He continued to work on O'Neill but they couldn't get his heart to start beating. After almost 8 minutes Matt was ready to call it, although he didn't want to give up.

"What's happening?" a new voice split the silence in the cave. Matt didn't stop but looked up to see a group of strangers walk into the cave. The rescue team, he thought, although he didn't stop what he was doing.

"Uncle Daniel", a little voice cried. Chris, his face awash in tears, ran up and threw his arms around his friend. Daniel picked him up and held him close.

"O'Neill's heart stopped and he's not breathing", one of the men said quietly. Daniel and Teal'c moved closer to O'Neill but were pushed aside by one of the rescue team. He dropped his pack and pulled out a medical bag.

"Keep doing what you're doing", he said to the doctor. "I'm going to give him some epinephrine." When the Doc looked at him, he continued. "I'm a medic."

"Good", Matt gasped. One of the other rescuers reached around and put his hands on top of the Doc's.

"I can take over now", he said calmly. As soon as he had the rhythm Matt sat back and let him continue. His arms were about ready to fall off. He crawled over to where Brian was lying but Roger was right – he looked much better.

In a few seconds the medic had injected the medicine and, as soon as he verified that Jack's heart was beating again he set up a portable oxygen machine. When it was obvious that O'Neill's heart had started again everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked as he stood, still holding Chris. The poor little boy was terrified. Teal'c was standing looking at O'Neill.

"You tell me", the Doctor said. "He was hurt – attacked by a bear. Brian here" he nodded towards the unconscious man, "he went to get help and got hurt. When they brought him back he was in bad shape. I didn't know if he'd even make it. O'Neill came over just then and insisted on putting his hands on Brian's chest. The next thing we knew, Brian seemed better and O'Neill's heart had stopped."

Surprisingly, neither of the two men who had spoken seemed shocked by this. Matt's eyes narrowed – they knew something. He watched them as they watched Jack.

"Are you friends of Jack's", he finally asked. He assumed so, considering Chris' greeting.

"Yes", the younger man answered. "We served with him for years. He's a good friend."

"You're Air Force too?"

"No, we were civilians – are civilians, attached to the Air Force. I'm an archaeologist."

"I see. And you?" he looked at Teal'c.

"I have served with O'Neill for many years", he replied, not specifying what his role was.

"Okay." He turned to the medic. "How is he?"

"Well, he's alive but I'm afraid" he stopped, seeming to realize the man's son was right here "we need to get him to hospital" he paused "quickly."

"Okay everyone", Woodward shouted. "We're going to get the wounded men out first and then we'll be back to collect the rest of you. We brought some extra supplies to help but it's gonna be a while before we can get you all back. You're safe and we know where you are so don't worry." He turned to his men who were preparing the two wounded for transport.

"What about their sons?" Matt asked. "They're gonna be pretty scared if we leave them."

"We can bring them", Teal'c answered. "Daniel Jackson and I can carry them on our backs."

Soon they were all ready. One of the Dads was co-opted to help carry a stretcher. Daniel carried Chris and Teal'c had Tyler.

They headed to the helicopter, traveling as quickly as they could. As Daniel looked at the still, white face of his friend, he prayed that they'd get back in time – and that they could save Jack. If anyone can do it, he thought, it was Sam.


	7. The Healing Touch

"Mrs. O'Neill?" the man was calling for her as he walked into the gym.

"Over here." she waved her arm and the man walked over.

"Mrs. O'Neill, my name is Mike. I work with Search and Rescue. I just got a call asking me to tell you they're bringing your husband in. Unfortunately, he's been wounded and is being taken directly to Penticton Regional Hospital. I can drive you there if you'd like?"

She sat stunned. No, no, this couldn't be happening. Jack couldn't be hurt, not again.

"How badly?" she managed to get out.

"I'm sorry, I don't know Ma'am. The message just said they're bringing in two wounded men and one of them is your husband."

"Okay", she stood up rather shakily. "I'd like to go, thank you."

"I'm sorry Sam." Jeanine Hohler looked up at her in sympathy. They'd gotten to know each other over the last few hours. "Would you like me to come with you?" When Sam didn't answer right away Jeanine stood up. "You know what? I'm gonna come. You need someone with you." She put her arm around the other woman and walked with her outside.

They arrived at the hospital before the chopper and were escorted to a private room. Mike said he was going to wait by the emergency entrance and he'd be back to tell them when the helicopter arrived. Someone came by offering them food and drinks but Sam just shook her head. Her stomach was churning and she couldn't imagine eating anything.

It must have been 15 or 20 minutes later when Mike returned. "They're here", he said simply. "They're in emergency and the doctor will be in shortly."

"No", Sam answered as she stood up. "I need to see him."

"Uh, I don't think - "

"I don't care. I'm going to see him now. He needs me and I'm going to be there for him." She walked out the door, not looking at either of the two people behind her. With a shrug and a small smile Jeanine followed her new friend. Mike simply raised his eyebrow and trailed after the two women. The doctors could deal with her, he decided.

One of the nurses tried to stop her as she walked through the emergency door but she just shrugged her off. Every ounce of her screamed 'Colonel' at that moment and she was not going to be stopped!

Jeanine followed behind her, admiring the determination of this woman. She wished she had the strength that Sam O'Neill had. Maybe she wouldn't be in the situation she was in if she'd been stronger.

"You can't be in here", a male voice interrupted their walk through the emergency ward.

"Samantha", a friendly voice called out to her.

"Teal'c, thank God." She rushed over and was enveloped in warm and comforting arms. "How is he?"

"I am sorry. He is not doing well."

"Oh God, no." She pulled back. "Where is he? I have to go to him."

"They will not let you in as they are working on him at the present time."

"No Teal'c, I have to see him. He needs me." She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain she needed to be with him. Something was calling to her and she didn't have much time. She stopped suddenly. Oh God, what about Chris? "Teal'c where is -"

"He is with Daniel Jackson. He is well."

"Oh thank God! Teal'c?"

"Come with me Samantha", Teal'c's gently took her arm and led her towards the closed door. "They will not stop me."

"Thank you", she said softly. She paused at the door and took a deep breath, suddenly feeling frightened.

"It will be fine Colonel Carter-O'Neill." She laughed at that, feeling slightly better. Her friends were with her.

She pushed the door open and saw the flurry of activity around the unconscious body of her husband.

"Get out of here!" one of the doctors spoke sharply. She ignored him and walked forward, closely followed by Teal'c. Everything seemed to stop as she went over to Jack. His torso was uncovered and she could see the wicked looking wounds on his chest and arm. It was obvious they were infected. That wasn't the worst though – his face was too still and his breathing too shallow. She knew he was close to death.

A gentle hand reached out and touched her. "We're trying to help him Mrs. O'Neill. You have to let us do our jobs." She turned and looked blankly at the nurse.

"No", she stated calmly, "you can't. He's dying. There's nothing you can do to help him."

Jeanine sat out in the waiting room, worried about her friend, but also thinking about her husband and son. Mike had told her that the others were okay, that they were going to pick them up at the cave and bring them to the hospital to be checked over. She was scared, wondering if Brian and Tyler would reject her after what she'd done.

She loved them so much. They had been her whole life. Oh, she knew that Brian could be a pain sometimes, but to her he'd always been loving and gentle. He also loved his son more than anyone knew. They'd wanted more children but she'd almost died when she'd had Tyler and the doctor had recommended she have her tubes tied. She'd grieved over the loss of more children but had eventually decided to make the most of the child they did have.

They'd had a good marriage so she knew that Brian must have been shocked when she'd left. She'd tried to tell him, to explain, but he wouldn't listen. As arrogant and cocky as she knew he could appear to others, in reality he was terribly unsure of himself. His father and mother had divorced when he was young and he'd been caught in the middle of a vindictive fight between his two parents. Sure that they hated each other, more than they loved him, he'd at first retreated into himself and then become loud, and sometimes obnoxious as a way to cope with his feelings of rejection and inadequacy.

When she'd first starting seeing things and hearing voices she'd just thought it was stress or tiredness. As the symptoms got worse, however, she became terrified that she was going insane. When she began to have horrible dreams about death and blood she knew she had to leave, for the sake of her family. She was frightened that she would hurt them.

Looking back on it now, she realized that her flight was also as a result of the illness. If she'd been in her right mind she would never have left the way she did, but she wasn't rational at the time. She had just known that she had to protect her family and the only way she knew was to leave.

The doctor had explained everything to her, had told her that her hallucinations and delusions were the result of the tumor. He'd also reassured her that they'd got it all and she should be fine, although she had to go for periodic exams just to make sure. She was physically healthy now, but she didn't know if she'd ever be okay. Not if she couldn't get her husband and son back.

"I'm fine I tell you! I wanna get out of here. Where's my son?"

Oh God! She sat down suddenly, feeling as if her leg bones had dissolved. Brian! He must have been the other wounded man. What should she do? Wait? What was this about Tyler?

She listened closely and heard the nurse reassure him. He was with someone called 'Daniel' and another boy. They were fine.

Standing up, shaking and weak, she made her way to the curtained off area where she'd heard her husband. With a deep breath she moved the curtain aside and walked in.

"I'm sorry Ma'am", the nurse said, "You can't be in here right now."

"He's my husband."

"Oh, okay then. They'll be moving him to a room soon but you're welcome to stay." She picked up a tray of supplies and left.

There was silence as Brian looked at her, no expression on his face. She wanted to reach out, to hold him, but the frozen look on his face stopped her.

"Brian?" she said softly, entreatingly.

"Why are you here?"

"I – I came to see you, you and Tyler. As soon as I got here I heard -"

"Well, I'm fine, Tyler is fine so you can just go. We don't need you." He stopped and then looked at her with a small smile. "We don't want you."

A small sob escaped as she listened to his words. They were what she expected, but she'd held out hope – hope that he'd forgive her, listen to her.

"Please Brian, just let me explain."

"No. There's nothing you can say to me Jeanine, nothing you can say that would make me forgive you for leaving. I could have forgiven you if it had been just me – but not Tyler. Do you have any idea what you did to him? Do you know how many nights he cried himself to sleep, asking for his mother? No, there's no way I'll _ever_ forgive you. Just go away and leave us alone." He turned on his side, his back to her.

She stood there crying, the tears rolling silently down her cheeks. She didn't know what to do so she slowly turned and walked away. Maybe she should leave? Maybe it was better if she – no! She stopped. She had made a mistake, yes, but she had been sick. She had a son who needed her and it would not make things better to leave. Maybe she'd lost Brian's love – but she refused to lose her son.

Having decided on that course she turned back into the cubicle where Brian was lying, still turned away from her.

"You may not want to hear what I have to say but I'm going to tell you anyway", she said clearly. "I did not leave you because I wanted to or because there was someone else. I love you and I have only ever loved you and I love Tyler. The reason I left was because I was sick. I was sick and I thought I was going insane. I left because I was afraid I was going to hurt you or hurt our son." She walked closer to the bed but Brian hadn't moved. "I had a brain tumor Brian – and it was causing me to think and do things that _were_ crazy. That's why I left. Not because I didn't love you – in fact it was because I _did_!"

She stopped talking then, hoping and praying that he'd listen, that he'd believe her. She knew he could be obstinate but she was fighting for her life, for their life together.

Finally, just when she thought it was never going to happen, he rolled over in the bed. She was shocked to see tears running down his face. She wanted to rush to him, to hold him. He looked like a little boy, like their son when he was hurt.

"Tumor?" he asked in a broken voice. "Are you – are you okay?" Her eyes connected with his and she could see the fear – no, the terror. He was worried she was going to die.

"I'm fine", she whispered. "They operated and got it all and the doctors said it shouldn't come back. They just let me out of the hospital a few days ago and I came right here."

Without warning, her tough, sometimes arrogant, sometimes idiotic, husband, began to sob. She immediately rushed to him and threw her arms around him and held on tight. He cried into her shoulder and she rocked him, just as she had done with their son when he was little and hurt.

"It's okay", she soothed. "I'm fine, everything's fine. I love you Brian. I love you and I've missed you so much." She kept repeating the words, over and over, until he stopped crying and settled down. She attempted to pull back but he clutched her tightly, not letting go.

"Brian?"

"No", he answered, "don't leave. Please, don't ever leave me again."

"I won't my love – never again."

After a while it was finally time for them to talk. She told him more of what had happened to her, how frightened and lost she'd been. He told her of the devastation he'd felt when she'd left. She hugged him again, knowing it would take time to build his trust back up. Even though he'd forgiven her, he still didn't believe that she loved him enough to never leave.

"Tyler will be happy to see you."

"Do you think so?" she asked. She was terrified her son would be so angry he wouldn't want to see her.

"I'll explain. I'll tell him what happened and how much you love him. It may take awhile but I know he'll forgive you. He loves you and he really needs his Mom."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah! He hates my cooking and tells me I don't know how to tuck him in properly."

This got her to crying as she thought of all the months she'd missed. She desperately wanted to see him and hold him again.

Just then the orderly came to move Brian to his room. Jeanine realized, at that moment, that she hadn't even asked him how he was. She stood up guiltily.

"How are you Brian? What happened?" She looked him up and down but he seemed okay.

"I was trying to get help when I fell down a small cliff. Knocked myself out and hurt my leg but I'm okay. The Doc said he's just keeping me in overnight for observation." He looked at her, frowning. "Have you heard about O'Neill? The other guy who was hurt?"

"Yes", she answered soberly. "I was with his wife when she got word he was being brought in. He's not doing too well."

"Oh God!" he said, burying his head in his hands. "If anything happens to him it'll be my fault."

"Your fault? Why?"

"Why? Because I was an idiot, that's why! I insisted we go hiking when I knew better. A bear attacked him when we were on our way back. He saved Tyler's life." He decided not to tell her that it was Tyler who'd gotten him hurt. She didn't need to know that and it was ultimately his fault. He'd taught his son some bad things over the last few months and Tyler had become something of a brat. Things were definitely going to have to change!

Once he was moved into his room he asked the nurse if they'd bring Tyler up. "Why don't you go wait in the waiting room and I'll explain things to him? You can come in after I tell him what happened."

She sat in the little waiting room at the end of the hall, her heart beating a mile a minute. Finally, a nurse came and told her that her husband wanted to see her. Walking slowly she made her way to his room.

She walked in through the door, but hadn't gone more than a couple of steps, when a small body threw itself at her.

"Mommy!" he shouted as he put his arms around her. In seconds both of them were sobbing loudly. She had come home.

"He's going to die and you need to let me see him." She stated calmly. They all looked at her as if she had lost it.

"Mrs. O'Neill -"

"She said she needs to see her husband", Teal'c said calmly but with a steely look in his eyes. As he escorted her to the emergency table where Jack lay, everyone stepped back, afraid of this big, scary looking man.

"Jack", she reached out gently but was afraid to touch him. He looked so – lost. It was almost as if most of him was gone already. She stood there, not sure what to do.

"Touch him Samantha", Teal'c's gentle voice instructed. "He needs to know you are here."

Nodding, she reached out again. Her friend had given her the push, the strength she needed. Laying her hands gently on her husband she closed her eyes and leaned forward until her face was close to his.

"Jack, don't leave me. I need you. Chris needs you. Please?" She kept repeating the words but nothing changed. She could tell that his vital signs were getting weaker with each passing second.

"Damn it O'Neill!" She said more loudly. "Don't you dare do this! It's time for _you_ to move your ass and wake up. You are _not_ going to die on me – do you hear me?" She put her hands over his heart and willed it to beat stronger, faster. She channeled everything – her thoughts, her hopes, her dreams, her desires – all were focused on the man lying so still in front of her.

"Come on O'Neill, it's time to wake up. We need you to stop being so lazy. It's time to get moving."

"Mrs. O'Neill!" the doctor remonstrated harshly with her. "This isn't helping. Please let us do our job. I'm afraid you're just getting in the - "

"Don't talk to my wife that way!" a soft and very weak voice interrupted. Dead silence met his words and then chaos erupted.

"JACK!" she squealed. "You're alive! Oh my God. Are you okay?" Sam reached down and took his face in her hands and kissed him. He was still breathless and weak so she pulled back quickly, wanting to look at his beloved and very much alive face.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't let me go Carter." he smiled slightly. "Although we need to talk about you ordering me around you know. _I'm_ the General."

"No you're not", she answered with her own smile. "You're my husband and that supersedes any rank. You _have_ to listen to me."

"Okay" he whispered as he looked into her face. "I love you Carter."

"I know. And I love you too Sir!"

"Mrs. O'Neill, we really do need to look after your husband." This time the doctor spoke more gently. He was surprised at the turn of events but not totally shocked. He knew that sometimes medicine had to take a back seat to miracles.

Sam nodded and stepped back, although she held onto Jack's hand as long as she could. Finally, when he was again surrounded by medical personnel she leaned back into Teal'c who held her securely.

"You did it Samantha", he said.

"Yeah, I think I did", she answered in surprise. Somehow she knew that she had healed her husband, although how she had no idea. It didn't really matter, however. What did matter was that he was alive and would get better. She hadn't lost him.

"I need to see Chris", she stated calmly when it was obvious that they were still fixing Jack up to IV's and getting ready to take him to another room.

"I will take you." Teal'c replied.

"Jack", Sam called softly. "We're going to see Chris. I'll see you in a few minutes."

He grinned tiredly and waved his hand. "See you in a few Carter and thanks T!"

"Mommy!" Chris shouted tearfully. He raced over and hugged Sam. "How's Daddy? Is he okay?" His little face was white with worry.

"He's fine Chris", Sam smiled. "They're just getting him all fixed up and then they're taking him to his room. We can go see him in a couple of minutes."

As Sam continued to talk to her son, Daniel looked in surprise at the other man. He was sure it had been bad but she didn't seem to look too worried.

"He's okay?" Daniel asked skeptically.

"Indeed, he is much better. Colonel Carter-O'Neill was able to heal him."

"What? But that's impossible. She doesn't have the Ancient gene. How could she heal him?"

"Stranger things have happened Daniel Jackson. It is the power of love."

Daniel looked at his friend, with a strange look on his face. "Have you been listening to those Whitney Houston CD's again?" he asked. Teal'c simply grinned.

Over the next few days Jack grew stronger as the infection cleared up. The doctors were amazed at how quickly his wounds had healed. One doctor even suggested that he might not have any scars from the ordeal.

"Good!" he'd replied. "I have too many of the damn things as it is. I don't need any more."

"Oh, I don't know", smirked Sam. "I kinda like your scars. I enjoy - "

"Hey!" Daniel cried. "I don't wanna hear this stuff. Keep it in the room!"

Both Sam and Jack laughed. "But we did Daniel, for way too many years", O'Neill replied.

"Yeah fine. Well, we're glad the two of you are happy but I don't wanna hear about – things like that – yuch!"

"Indeed Daniel Jackson. I would tend to agree."

A couple of days later Jack was released and sent home under the tender care of his wife, his son, his friends, and Molly. He sighed, pretty sure he was going to feel smothered in no time.

He had been pleased to hear that everyone was okay and had all been rescued successfully. He was surprised to have heard about Brian being injured. He didn't remember that, or the roll he had played in healing him. His wife and friends decided not to say anything for now about the healing.

As far as the men in the cave who had seen what happened, Daniel and Teal'c did a good job convincing them that it was just luck and coincidence. It was the sort of thing that people find hard to believe in the first place so it wasn't hard to make them think it hadn't really happened. As far as they knew, Brian hadn't been hurt that badly.

"So", Sam murmured as she lay snuggled up in bed with Jack. How do you think I was able to heal you? Do you think it's like Teal'c said – it was the 'power of my love'?"

"Of course", he turned and kissed her lightly. "That and the Ancient gene."

"But I don't have the Ancient gene and you can't heal yourself so that doesn't make sense."

He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his bent arm. Grinning, he just looked at her.

"What?" she said after a second. "What is it?"

"You're wrong you know", he said. "You _do_ have the Ancient gene in you."

"What?" she repeated. "No I don't. I've been tested and I don't have it."

He reached out and laid his hand gently and reverently on her abdomen. "You do now. You have some of that good old fashioned 'O'Neill Ancient gene' and I'm afraid you will for – oh 7 ½ months or so."

She stared at him in astonishment. How? "Jack – how do you know that?" She covered his hand with hers. She'd certainly suspected but hadn't confirmed it. How in the world would he know?

Reaching over he gave her a kiss – this time longer and more lingering. "How", he asked as he leaned back. "Because I can tell. I knew as soon as you'd healed me. I guess it's _my_ ancient gene that can tell."

"Really? You can tell that I'm - " she couldn't even say the word.

"Yup", he said, smiling with total love and adoration in his eyes. "Pregnant!"

"Oh my God", she cried softly. "We're going to have a baby!" She hadn't ever thought it would be possible. This was a miracle, she knew, although she was finding it hard to take in.

"Well – not exactly" he mumbled.

She looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Well, when I said you had the Ancient gene in you I wasn't exactly accurate."

She continued to stare at him.

"It's more like _genes_."

She still didn't get it. "What are you trying to say Jack?"

"We're having twins!"

_**Yup – I just had to do it again. Cliché, cliché, cliché! I admit it – I'm a J/S Shipper/babyaholic – and proud of it!**_

_**Epilogue to follow tomorrow.**_


	8. Happiness

The combination of the warm sunlight and the clear, pine-scented air made him feel drowsy and relaxed. He let his book fall out of his hands and closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of total peace and contentment. Right here, right now, he knew life couldn't get any better. All he'd been through, all he'd seen and done faded into the past. His life was here now, with his family, and he was happy.

He still had trouble believing all that had happened over the past year and how lucky he was. For many years he'd wondered if he'd been cursed – now he felt he'd been blessed. He thought about Sam, the woman he loved, and he was in awe that he'd found her – or maybe that she'd found him. And then there was Chris, the little boy who'd suffered a tragic loss at too young an age, but who had quickly lodged in their hearts and become their son. He smiled as he thought about the boy's joy of life and his sweetness. They couldn't have wished for a better child, even if he had been theirs by birth.

Now, of course, there was the icing on the cake – the fact that he and Sam were expecting their own, biological offspring. Two! God, he couldn't believe it. From thinking that he would never have children of his own again after Charlie he was now expecting two. It was the same for Sam. He'd known that it was unlikely, if not completely impossible, that she would ever have children. Jolinar, plus some of the other things she'd been through, had caused too much trauma. When they got married it hadn't even been something they discussed – they simply knew it would not happen. They'd been okay with that – they had each other and they had Chris. But now – now their family was increasing and he was thrilled.

He laughed to himself. Who would have thought, at his age, that he'd be dealing with diapers and teething and all the things that went along with raising young children. It was damn good he was so healthy or he would never be able to keep up. He'd have to ask Thor to give him the occasional 'tune up' to make sure he stayed as young and healthy as possible.

Healthy! He took a deep breath – he felt great. In fact, he was totally recuperated from their little camping trip. He grinned as he admitted to himself that he was milking it for all it was worth. He was enjoying, for once in his life, just taking it easy. He'd spent the last couple of weeks reading, sleeping, watching TV and cuddling with his wife. Molly had cooked up a storm of his favorite foods and Chris had been on his best behavior. It had been great. Unfortunately, he knew it had to come to an end and he'd have to get his butt in gear, but for now he was just going to relax and enjoy it.

Washington was calling, of course. The pressure was on for him to take the job and he was still undecided. He really didn't want to get back into the rat race, but at the same time it was nice to feel needed. He also had to admit that the idea of a fourth star was kind of appealing. He thought briefly of his parents, long gone, and wished they'd been able to see how successful he'd been in his chosen career. They'd be so proud, he knew. Maybe they were watching from heaven.

As he continued to doze in the sunlight he decided now was not the time to worry about it. He'd have to tell them soon – but not right now. He'd deal with it– later.

"Jack", he heard Sam's voice calling from inside the house. She and Molly and Chris were baking cookies. He laughed again – Colonel Sam Carter, genius, national treasure and world savior was making cookies! How the world had chained.

"Jack", she called again. Damn, he'd probably have to move - and just when he'd found the perfect, most comfortable position.

"Out here", he called, not moving. A minute later he heard the back door open and the center of his life – his reason for living – walked out. She came over to his lounge chair and grinned down at him.

"So, here you are. We were wondering where you'd escaped to." He scooted over as she sat down beside him. "How are you feeling?" she asked with a slight frown. He was looking good but she'd almost lost him and was still feeling a bit anxious.

"Great", he smiled. Sitting up slightly he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "You can stop worrying you know. I'm just fine now – I'm just being lazy and taking advantage. I feel one hundred percent!"

She knew it was true, even though she still worried (and probably always would, she acknowledged to herself). They'd all been worried again though – especially after what Jack had been through just a few months previously. Teal'c and Daniel had refused to leave until Jack was well on the road to recovery. They had just returned to Colorado a few days before since they had to get back to work. Jack had given them each a hug. "Thanks guys – for coming to rescue me - again!" he'd said.

"Anytime Jack", Daniel had answered, "although we'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of trouble for a while! I think we've reached our annual rescue quota."

"Yes O'Neill. We would be very happy if you were to remain safe for the foreseeable future." Teal'c smiled slightly and slapped his friend on the back.

He and Sam hadn't told them about the babies. It was still early and they'd decided to wait until Sam was farther along. Although Jack was sure the pregnancy was healthy and strong (that Ancient gene again!), they decided they'd feel more comfortable telling everyone in a couple of months. So, for now they just said goodbye. They knew they'd see their friends soon.

Looking at her husband, Sam couldn't help but be thankful that he was well – and that he was hers. She reached out and cupped his face in her hand. She couldn't believe how much she loved him– how much she needed him. She knew life would have ceased to have much meaning without him in it.

"Yes" she responded to his earlier comment. "You're looking good. You realize that means I'm going to have to get you working! We need to do some yard work and I promised Molly we'd work on the basement. We're going to need more room now." She unconsciously put her hand on her stomach. She was just showing a tiny bit – although anyone not knowing she was pregnant wouldn't be able to tell. The only reason she had any kind of a 'bump' was because she was having twins.

He sighed deeply. So much for lazing around the house! "Okay, how about tomorrow? Today I just really want to enjoy the sunlight and relax. You should join me. We haven't exactly had a lot of time to do that before now."

She agreed. The yard and the basement could wait. Lying down next to her husband she rested with her head on his chest and her arm around him. Soon she was dozing in the sunlight as well.

That evening they were sitting watching TV when there was a knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, Jack stood up to answer it.

"O'Neill." The man on the other side spoke cautiously. Standing beside him was a woman and his son, Tyler.

"Brian", Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was the last person he'd ever expected to see on his doorstep. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I'm wondering if we could come in for a moment and speak with you."

"Sure", he stepped back and motioned them in. He assumed the woman was – what was her name? – Jeannie or something, his wife. Sam had told him about her.

"This is Jeanine, my wife." Brian introduced her. Jack reached out and shook her hand.

"Come on into the living room. We were just watching TV."

"I'm sorry to bother you General O'Neill", Jeanine said softly. "We won't stay long."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It wasn't anything special." He walked into the room followed by the Hohler family. "Hey everyone, we have company."

"Jeanine!", Sam smiled and walked over to the other woman and gave her a hug. "How nice to see you again. Brian", she held out her hand. "welcome. Please, have a seat. Can I offer you something to drink?"

"No, no that's okay, thank you." Brian said. He looked uncomfortable. Jack wondered what the heck this was about. "I just wanted to come because I owe you a huge apology O'Neill. I was a total jerk on that trip and – well, more than that – I endangered everyone with my stupidity. I don't have any excuse other than the fact that I was an idiot. But I do want you to know I'm sorry for the way I behaved. I also wanted to say thank you. You saved all our butts – and especially mine." He stopped and then looked up, his eyes meeting Jack's.

"I know everyone thinks it was just coincidence or something, but I know better. I know you saved my life. I was dying and you brought me back. I don't know how you did it – and I'll never say anything because I expect it's something you don't want to broadcast – but I know I owe you my life and I'll never forget that." He stopped talking and looked at the man across from him.

Jack was stunned, to say the least. First, Brian had been the last person he ever expected to make an apology and second, he wondered why the man thought he'd saved him. He really didn't remember anything although Matt had given him a few details. He suspected the good doctor also knew something of the truth. He wasn't admitting to it though, much to Jack's relief.

"Hey", he said softly, feeling uncomfortable himself. He never did well with this kind of things. "Forget it – I'm just glad we all made it out okay. I heard that you tried to save everybody on your own. That takes courage Brian! It also takes guts to say you were wrong and apologize. Don't worry about it – I've forgotten it!"

The other man looked relieved but then turned to his son and nodded at O'Neill. The little boy looked terrified but finally spoke.

"I'm sorry Sir", he said softly. "I should have listened to you. I'm sorry about the bear and I'll never do anything like that again."

"Good", said O'Neill sternly. "That's a good way of getting yourself killed you know. Never approach a baby animal in the wild. It's very dangerous!" Tyler nodded but looked like he was almost in tears. "And hey, don't worry about it anymore okay? I'm fine and I appreciate the apology. And next time we go camping you'll know better, right?"

"Yes Sir", he looked relieved. "But Daddy says we'd better not go camping again. He says we're not very good at it." Brian looked uncomfortable at that but Jack and Sam grinned, as did Jeanine.

"Oh, I don't know. I think it'd be fun to go again. Maybe I'll organize a wilderness survival training camp. This time we'll go in the summer though – I've had my share of getting stuck in freezing cold weather." He shared a look with Sam who grinned, remembering some of their adventures.

"That'd be cool!" the little boy said. Looking at his father he asked, "could I go? Please?"

"Sure", Brian answered, "I think maybe I should go too."

At that point Sam got up and insisted that everyone needed drinks and cookies. They spent a lovely evening talking and getting to know the Hohlers.

"I don't know if I'll ever be best buddies with Brian", Jack said later, "but he's not that bad a guy when you get to know him – and when he's not being a jerk!" Sam laughed and punched him.

"Well, I really like Jeanine so maybe we'll get together for a barbeque sometime."

Sam had shared Jeanine's story with him. Now that he and Sam were expecting he felt especially bad for the Hohlers. They clearly had wanted more children and it was a tragedy that they would be able to have any others.

"Let's invite the Hohlers over." Jack said one night. Sam turned to him in surprise, wondering what had brought that on.

"Uh, okay. When would you like to have them over?"

"How about this Saturday? We could do that Barbeque you mentioned."

"Okay", Sam continued to look at him strangely. It really wasn't like him to want to invite people over with whom he wasn't close. Still, the Hohlers seemed pleased and came over Saturday afternoon bringing with them a case of beer and a cake. Sam smiled, figuring Jack would like them more now that they'd brought two of his favorite things.

They had a lovely time but Samantha knew something was up. She caught Jack a few times with a curious expression on his face. She just wished she could figure out what was going on.

It was just after they'd finished dinner and Jeanine was helping her with the dishes that Jack came into the kitchen. He walked over and put his arms around both of the women.

"Hey lovely ladies, what are you doing in here? You should be out enjoying the sunshine." Sam turned and gave him a peck on the cheek and Jeanine just smiled.

"We thought we'd leave you men to talk about your fishing and baseball. How come you're not out with Brian?"

"Oh, he's playing a game with the boys. I decided to come in and see what you were up to."

They chatted for a few more minutes and then Jack said he was going to go out and check on the 'boys'. He gave a quick kiss to his wife and turned to leave the kitchen. He'd only taken a few steps when he seemed to sag to the floor, landing on his knees and then passing out completely.

With a small cry Sam rushed over and knelt down beside him. She checked to make sure he was breathing – which he was, but shallowly. He was pale and sweaty and way too still. She reached out and put her hand on his chest, just like she'd done in the hospital. In under a minute he took a deep breath and his eyes opened. Giving her a small smile he managed to push himself to sitting position.

"Jack? Are you okay?" she asked, worried.

"Sorry Sam, Jeanine. I'm fine. Just got a little too much sun I guess."

"Too much _sun_? Jack, you passed out. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just fainted I guess."

"Here", Jeanine held out a glass of water. "you should have something to drink. You may have gotten dehydrated."

Jack smiled and took the water and drank deeply. Sam was hovering, worried that something was seriously wrong. She'd never seen Jack faint before. All she could think of was that it was something left over from the infection he'd gotten from the bear.

Jack gave her a quick kiss and told her not to worry, he was just fine. He then went back out and joined in the game the boys were playing with Brian as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sure he's okay Sam", Jeanine sat beside her friend on the patio. "He probably did get too much sun and that, on top of the beer they've been drinking, caused him to pass out. He looks fine now."

Sam nodded and tried to pretend, the rest of the afternoon, that everything was okay. She was relieved, however, when the Hohlers finally went home.

Jack spent the evening assuring her that he was all right. "Sam, I'd know if something was wrong, okay? I can tell when I'm not well and when I'm healthy and I assure you, I'm _very_ healthy!"

"How can you tell?" she asked, slightly teary eyed.

"That damned Ancient gene. Sam, I promise, really – I'm good."

Over the next few weeks she watched him closely but he seemed healthy. In fact, he was more than fine – he seemed full of energy and bouncing with happiness. Slowly she relaxed, finally believing that he was okay.

About six weeks after the barbeque, Jack and Chris were out at the movies and Molly was at a friend's playing bridge. Sam was enjoying a quiet evening at home when the phone rang.

"Hello. Oh, hi Jeanine, how are you doing? Are we still on for tomorrow?" She and Jeanine had become good friends and got together once a week for coffee or to have a 'girl's night out'. The only hard part for Sam was not talking about her pregnancy. She worried about how it would make the other woman feel.

"What?" she asked in surprise after listening to her friend. "Really? But I thought you said –?"

After talking to Jeanine for another few minutes she said goodbye and hung up. Sitting back she frowned – there was something strange – something that she thought she should know but that was just eluding her. She sat on the couch for the next couple of hours thinking about what had happened.

She was quiet when Jack got home, not saying much to either him or Chris. After they'd gotten Chris to bed she got changed and climbed into bed.

"Hey, what's up?" Jack came and sat beside her on the bed. "You've been awfully quiet tonight. Is everything okay?"

After a brief pause she spoke. "Jeanine called tonight."

"Yeah? How's she doing? You guys getting together again soon?"

"She's fine. More than fine, actually. She's pregnant."

"Really? Wow, that's great." He looked at his wife who was frowning at him. "Uh, that _is_ great isn't it? I mean, they're happy about it aren't they?"

She knew it! The worry in Jack's voice confirmed her suspicion. Looking at her idiot of a husband she just shook her head. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Me? What was me?" he asked confused.

"Jeanine being pregnant – you did it, didn't you?"

"What?" He sat back. "Are you accusing me of getting Jeanine _pregnant?_" He asked, shocked.

"Yes! I'm mean no – not like _that_! That's not what I meant and you know it. No, I was _accusing_ you of having healed her so that she could _become_ pregnant. That time in the kitchen – that's why you passed out, isn't it?"

Oops caught! He looked sheepishly at his wife. "Yeah. I'm sorry – I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure if it'd worked. I just remember you telling me how badly they felt not being able to have more kids. And then I thought about us. We were in kind of the same boat and I remembered how happy I – we –were when we found out you were pregnant."

"So, you decided to help Jeanine?"

"Uh huh. Do you think I shouldn't have? Are they upset?"

"Upset? No, they're thrilled. The only thing they can't figure out is _how_."

"Well, I assume it was through the usual method."

"Oh yes, except Jeanine had her tubes tied. The doctors can't figure out how they repaired themselves _so perfectly_!"

"Whoops! I didn't know."

She just looked at him and shook her head. "Jack O'Neill, what am I going to do with you?"

"But they are happy, right?"

"Yes – in fact thrilled is putting it mildly. But she's scared as well. She had a really rough time with Tyler so she's worried."

"They don't need to be. She'll be fine."

"Oh, so you can foretell the future now too."

"No, but I was able to heal everything that was wrong with her. She should have a healthy pregnancy."

"You're crazy, you know that! Next time you decide to do something like that please tell me first! I just about had a heart attack."

"I'm sorry Carter, really I am."

"I know – and anyway, this kind of thing makes me love you even more. That was a pretty damn sweet thing you did. I just wish I could tell them it was you."

"Well you can't. And anyway, if you went around telling people I was responsible for Jeanine's pregnancy, geesh, can you imagine the scandal? And Brian would kill me."

Laughing together they curled up and talked a long time before going to sleep.

Jack received another call from the President the next day and knew that it was decision time. He'd spoken with his whole family and they'd all made it much more difficult by telling him it was his decision and they'd support him all the way.

Molly had been the person he'd thought would have saved him. He couldn't imagine her wanting to leave her home for a new city and a new country at the age of almost 81. She'd surprised him by telling him she was perfectly happy to move.

"Give me something to look forward to", she'd said. "Never too old to see new places and meet new people so don't you give it a thought. Chris might enjoy it too. It'll give him a taste of something different."

So, in the end it came back to him. What did he want to do? Did he want to stay retired or jump back in to the thick of things? He'd have less time to spend with his family, which was a huge issue. On the other hand, Washington was an interesting city and it might be good for Chris to discover some new things. It would also be exciting and he'd know what was going on in the universe. Damn, it was tough to know what to do.

Finally, with a sigh, he picked up the phone. He'd made his decision.

"Jack."

"Hmmm?"

"Jack."

"Hmmm. Wha'? I took the garbage out already Carter." He whined, still half asleep.

"Good, but that's not it. It's time Jack."

"Hmmm?" he mumbled for the third time.

"It's _time_. Time to take me to the hospital."

"Hospital?" there was a short pause. "HOSPITAL?" He jerked awake and leapt out of bed. "Are you okay Carter?" He reached over but she simply grasped his hand and kissed it.

"I'm fine Jack. We have time, don't worry."

"The contractions – how far apart are they?"

"About every 5 minutes. Why don't you get my suitcase and I'll pee and get dressed? Let Molly know and I'll meet you downstairs."

So, this was it, he thought as he stood staring at the bathroom door. After today his life – their life – would change drastically. He expected sleep wouldn't be a huge part of it, at least for a while. He smiled, hell, sleep was highly overrated anyway.

Giving himself a shake, he decided he'd better get a move on.

As he drove to the hospital he glanced over at the calm face of his wife. She had the exact same look she used to get when she knew she was going to have to do some incredible scientific miracle and save the world – even though she didn't have a clue how. In the end, though, she always came through.

"Okay?" he asked softly.

"Yes, as long as you're with me I'll be fine", she said calmly, in between contractions. And it was true – all the adventures that they'd been on didn't compare with this – but it was still them together. With the Col –, she laughed, where had that come from? No, with General O'Neill, by her side – and more importantly Jack, her husband, by her side, she knew she couldn't fail.

"We're almost there Samantha, just another few pushes and baby O'Neill number one will be here." The midwife said calmly.

She leaned back into her husband who had climbed into bed with her and was supporting her – like he always did, she thought. It had been a tough 16 hour labor but it was coming to an end. Everything looked fine, according to her midwife, but still, she was damn ready to have these babies. She was so exhausted she really didn't know if she could push any more.

"You can do it Carter", her husband spoke softly in her ear. "I've got your six and everything is great. Just a bit more, okay?"

"I don't think I can Jack. I'm so tired."

"I know baby - but I know you can do it. Come on." He held her as the contraction came back and she pushed with all her strength.

"That's it Samantha! I can see the head. One more good push and your son or daughter will be here."

Sam bore down as hard as she could while Jack held her and watched as his child was born. As the baby slid out, covered in white and streaks of blood, he couldn't catch his breath. The midwife smiled and simply passed the baby up so it was lying on top of Sam. The nurse came over and covered the baby with a warm blanket and the two parents stared in wonder.

"We did it Sir." Sam said softly, a single tear dropping from her eye.

"Yeah, I guess we did Carter." He leaned forward and gently laid his lips on her forehead and then immediately transferred them to the soft downy head on Sam's chest. The baby was already rooting for its first meal.

As he watched Sam move the baby and help it latch on, he smiled. Suddenly however he realized something.

"Uh Sam?"

"Yes?" She said after a few seconds. She was entranced with the sight and feel of her child nursing at her breast.

"What is it?"

She laughed and leaned over and kissed him. "It's your daughter Jack."

He beamed and could feel tears begin to gather in his own eyes. A little girl! God, he was thrilled although he knew that he was going to be wrapped around her finger in no time.

" Sam", the midwife interrupted. "It's time to push again. Jack, why don't you take the baby?"

A stab of terror hit him. Looking down at the tiny baby it suddenly dawned on him that he was now responsible for this new young life. As he reached over to take her he could see his hands shaking. Sam's contractions were in full force again so he gently picked up his little girl and held her close.

His attention was divided between his wife and his daughter. Fortunately, the little girl was just looking at him with her unfocused eyes and seemed perfectly content. He leaned over and kissed her and whispered, "More later little girl. I love you but your Mama needs me."

It was only a couple of minutes before child number two made his way into the world. He grinned as he got a look. Oh yeah, there was no doubt it was a boy with those honkin' big -. Yup – that was his boy all right.

He watched as Sam looked at their son. He glanced down at his daughter and smiled. Her eyelids were drooping but she continued to gaze at him. The midwife finished up and prepared to leave.

"I'll give you a few minutes on your own and check back in a bit", she smiled. "You did great Sam - and you too Jack! You're gonna be great parents." She left the room and suddenly they were alone with the newest members of their family.

"Do you want to hold him Jack?" Sam asked. She looked at her husband who wore a bemused expression, as if he couldn't quite believe everything that had happened.

"Here", Jack leaned over and handed his daughter to his wife. He then looked down at his son and it suddenly hit him. He could feel his throat tighten and tears begin to well up. He put his hand gently on the little guy's back, but didn't know if he could pick him up. The sudden feeling of loss, of remembering Charlie's birth hit him with devastating pain.

He looked up in apology at Sam, feeling guilty for taking away her joy with his own grief. He hadn't expected it, had thought that he'd dealt with it. It had come up from behind and hit him square between the shoulders and he was very afraid he was going to lose it completely.

"It's okay Jack", Sam was looking at him with compassion. She reached out and touched his hand gently. "Whenever you're ready. I know this is hard."

He took a deep breath and again realized how blessed he was. Hell, if Carter could go through hours of painful labor and then push out two kids the least he could do was pick up his son.

Carefully, reverently he reached down and picked up the warm little body. God, he looked so much like – no, he was his own person. He was a new life with all sorts of hope and a future in front of him. He glanced up, just once, and said a few, silent words to his first born son. "Look after your little brother Charlie. I love you son and you'll always be in my heart." He then looked down at the two little eyes looking at him so intently. He touched the tiny hand and little fingers wrapped around his index finger. With that he was lost. He reached down and kissed his son, letting his tears anoint the little boy's forehead.

_This_ right here, right now, was his redemption. He looked at his family and rejoiced. Yes – life was good and he was happy.

"So Sir, what are we going to name them?" Sam looked up and grinned. They'd had an ongoing 'mock' battle for months about names and had finally agreed to wait until the babies were born. They hoped that it would be obvious when they looked at them.

Stroking his son's velvet skin he smiled. He then reached down and did the same with his daughter.

"I think you're right Carter – this one looks like a Callum – Callum Daniel Teal'c O'Neil". Now that he looked at his son he agreed with Sam's choice. Not only was it Irish, which honored his heritage, but the meaning was special as well. Callum meant 'peace' which was what both he and Sam had spent their lives working for.

"And this little girl is definitely a Catherine – Catherine Georgia Janet – Cate for short." Sam added. He'd proposed the name in honor of her mother. It also happened to be his grandmother's name – a woman he'd adored. His wife had argued against it, saying it was too traditional, but she'd obviously come around.

"I think it's time we introduced these two to the rest of their family." He stood up and handed Callum to his mother. She took her son and felt her heart practically leap into her throat when it hit her – these two little beings were hers – and Jack's. She'd just given birth to two 'O'Neills'. She laughed – who would have thought that it would have come to this when so many years ago she'd walked into that Briefing room for the first time?

Jack walked to the door and then stopped and turned around to look at his wife and children. Sam looked up and smiled and he too found himself breathless at the sight in front of him.

"I love you Sam", he said softly.

"I know – and I love you too Jack. Now, go tell the others. They're probably going nuts out there."

He walked into the waiting room and was met by his excited, and loud, family. Molly and Chris were both there, asking after Sam and the babies. Daniel and T were also present – they'd flown in a couple of days before so they'd be here in time for the birth. Cassie had managed to take a few days off from her studies and was standing there smiling. She rushed over and gave him a big hug as soon as he'd arrived. He glanced over to the corner where George Hammond stood, looking at him with his 'well done Colonel' look – usually the one he wore when Jack had brought his team back in one piece and they'd saved the world - again.

At that moment, he felt a sense of contentment, of pure and complete happiness. He had everything he could possibly want and life was good. It had been a long journey – and an arduous one – but if it meant that it had gotten him here then it had all been worth it. Oh, never Charlie – but everything else, yes, was definitely worth it.

Jack held up his hand to stop everyone from talking at once. "So, would anyone here like to see the newest members of the family?"

"Yeah/Of course/yes." Everyone again spoke at the same time.

Jack looked at Chris, who looked slightly worried, and he walked over to him. Picking him up he gave him a hug. "Hey Chris, do you want to see your brother and sister?"

"A boy and a girl Jack? Way to go", Daniel slapped him on the back.

"Thanks Space Monkey. So Chris?"

"Yes Daddy." Chris suddenly grinned and hugged him back.

Jack nodded for his 'family' to follow him and opened the door to Sam's room. When she saw everyone she smiled and introduced them all to Callum and Cate O'Neill.

When Sam realized that Jack had been silent while everyone 'oohed and aahed' she looked up and saw her husband standing back and smiling – that same look he'd had after the time-loop so many years ago. The look which said he was especially pleased about something.

"Jack?" she asked suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinkin' Carter, just thinkin'." He looked around at everyone and chuckled. "I'm standing here looking at my family and thinkin' about how lucky I am. I've got the best friends anyone could possibly imagine", he nodded to Teal'c, Daniel and Goerge "a wonderful lady who's become the best Mom and Grandma anyone could have", here he smiled at Molly who blushed and waved her hand in embarrassment, "a lovely young woman who is like a daughter to me", he smiled at Cassie, "and then there's my immediate family – Carter, my partner, my love and my life, Chris – a son any man would be proud of and now, two new O'Neill's – Callum and Cate." He paused and took one more look at everyone. He then walked over and gave his wife a kiss and laid his hands on his two children. "Yeah – life is sweet."

_**The End (for now)**_

_**You'll notice I didn't say what Jack's decision was (mean I know). I'd be curious about what my readers think. Did Jack go back or not? Based on your thoughts I'll do a sequel and let you know what I decide.**_

_**I decided to go with a boy and girl for Jack and Sam due to numerous requests. One of my reviewers also suggested I go with 'C' names – so I did. Thanks for the suggestions folks.**_

_**Thanks to all my reviewers and I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you individually. I've been writing in spurts as I'm crazy busy at work and I've just flown to Canada for a lovely week of packing! I probably won't write anything for a while but I wish you all the best – I will be back soon.**_


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